# HelpChat vs TIM

The clearest difference is ads: HelpChat at none against TIM's shown. HelpChat also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). TIM's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.6). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

HelpChat ships an update every 2 weeks, TIM every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HelpChat | TIM |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[1.9 (739 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tim-qq/id1175213887/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **739** |
| Positive reviews | — | 18.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 50 MB | 347 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jindu Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1007457880) | [Tencent Technology (Shanghai) Company Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/473924491) |

## What reviewers say

### HelpChat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/helpchat-working-communicate/id1007457881)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### TIM

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tim-qq/id1175213887)

This instant messaging app focuses on efficient communication and collaboration for work, study, and life. It offers QQ friend and message synchronization, file saving, a favorites feature, and real-time voice and video calls. It also includes task management, scheduling, and collaborative document editing.

**Highlights:** QQ friend and message sync, File saving to cloud storage, Favorites for text, images, links, Real-time voice and video calls, To-do list management, Schedule creation and viewing, Collaborative document editing

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient and focused on chatting
- 👍 Simple and clean UI design
- 🤖 Useful for office work

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🤯 Confusing UI changes
- 🗑️ Removal of useful features like email

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to open shared links
- Inconsistent message synchronization
- Unreliable notification system
- Frequent login issues

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- iPad version
- Improved file sharing and management
- Restore removed features like email


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HelpChat free?

HelpChat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is TIM free?

TIM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do HelpChat or TIM have ads?

TIM shows ads; HelpChat does not.

### Which is updated more often, HelpChat or TIM?

HelpChat ships an update every 2 weeks, and TIM every 3 months. Most recently, HelpChat was updated on October 29, 2026 and TIM on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*