Comparison

Text nearBy vs Vicinity

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Text nearBy

Communicate with people nearby using Bluetooth, no internet connection required. Ideal for group chats at home, school, or while traveling. Messages are private and automatically deleted after viewing.

Highlights
  • Bluetooth-only communication
  • No internet or WiFi needed
  • Private, direct messaging
  • Automatic message deletion
  • No account or phone number required
  • Notifications for new messages
Features
Read full description

Text nearBy is different than most chat apps because it works over Bluetooth. Chat with everyone in your home, chat with all your friends in the same room at school or work, chat with your family and friends on a plane or a bus, and even chat with friends outside. Details • No Cell or WiFi networks needed. • Notifications for new messages. • No phone number, email address, or account needed. • Allow your kids to safely chat with your family. • May only chat with friends that are near you (about 33 feet). • Messages are not sent through any server, they are sent directly to your friends over Bluetooth. • Messages are automatically deleted an hour after they are viewed.

About

Vicinity

Connect with people in your immediate vicinity through real-time chat and live multiplayer games. Discover local communities and engage in topic-based conversations, all tied to your physical location.

Highlights
  • Real-time proximity chat
  • Live multiplayer games
  • Location-based landmark rooms
  • Private messaging
  • Interest-based profiles
  • Apple Watch integration
  • In-app economy for extras
Features
Read full description

Vicinity is the spatial network: the digital third space where you chat in real time with everyone around you. Meet people nearby, make friends in your neighborhood, and play live games together — tied to where you are, not who you follow. No followers, no algorithms — just your local world, live. Third places — the coffee shop, the barbershop, the park bench — are where neighbors used to become friends, and they're quietly disappearing. Vicinity brings that sense of community back, right where you are: open the app and you're in the room with everyone nearby, across multiple topic channels. Send message requests, create group chats, or join landmark rooms at iconic locations worldwide — but only if you're physically there. The internet you walk through, not the one you scroll. Potential uses • Meet new people nearby • Organize meetups by topic • Chat with others at a sports game, bar, or concert • Coordinate a class study group • Get help from a neighbor • Invite others to a block party • Recommend shows, restaurants, or events to people nearby • Ask locals for tips when traveling • Coordinate group activities • Host a game night with people nearby — trivia, chess, poker, and more Core features • Vicinity chat: multiple topic channels for your radius • Live Games: host or join real-time multiplayer games with people nearby — trivia, chess, poker, blackjack, werewolf, mahjong, and more • Landmark rooms: audio and text chat at iconic locations worldwide — only if you're physically there • Private messaging: send message requests to anyone you meet in the chatroom • Interests: add up to 5 interest chips to your profile so people nearby know what you're into • Avatars: upload a photo or make one from any emoji or interest — free for everyone • Apple Watch: glance at the chat around you and switch channels right from your wrist • Premium: group chats, photos in DMs, voice & video calls, ad-free, and more Stars — the fun economy • Earn stars FREE by winning Live Games or inviting friends • Spend stars on fun extras: chat colors, profile borders, badges, hosting events, and promoting posts • Gift stars or cosmetics to friends right in your DMs — chat colors, borders, and badges they keep • Trophy badges: climb the ladder from Bronze to the ultra-rare Diamond — the ultimate status flex Dark Mode Vicinity supports both light and dark mode. Privacy and security All location-based rooms are fully moderated. Distance sharing is optional — you control what you share. Download Vicinity. Community restored. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Text nearBy2 screens
Vicinity4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Vicinity at 4.6 against Text nearBy's 3.7. Vicinity also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (37 vs 9). Text nearBy's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ads (none vs shown). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Vicinity sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $10.99 per year. Text nearBy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Vicinity holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 37 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Text nearBy's written reviews are positive against 91% of Vicinity's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Text nearBy ships an update every 2 months, Vicinity every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Text nearBy versus Vicinity: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterText nearByVicinity
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (9 ratings)4.6 (37 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better90.9% of reviews
Number of ratings937 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS11.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB85 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperPaul HangasEsketit LLC

Customer experience

Text nearBy

All ratings9 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral11.1%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Vicinity

All ratings37 ratings
Positive91.9%
Neutral2.7%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%

In-app purchases

None

Text nearBy

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Vicinity

Subscriptions1
  • Subscription Features$10.991 Year
One-time4
  • 60 Star Tokens$0.99
  • Create Advertisement$1.99
  • 180 Star Tokens$2.99
Show 1 more
  • 600 Star Tokens$7.99

Questions

Is Text nearBy free?
Text nearBy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Vicinity free?
Vicinity is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Text nearBy or Vicinity?
Vicinity is rated higher. Text nearBy averages 3.7 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Vicinity averages 4.6 from 37 ratings.
Do Text nearBy or Vicinity have ads?
Vicinity shows ads; Text nearBy does not.
Which is updated more often, Text nearBy or Vicinity?
Text nearBy ships an update every 2 months, and Vicinity every 4 days. Most recently, Text nearBy was updated on October 24, 2026 and Vicinity on October 29, 2026.

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