Comparison

Empath vs Hoop

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

Head to head
About

Empath

Share your true feelings anonymously in a supportive community. Connect authentically with friends who show you love, and track your emotional journey over time. Build deeper relationships by opening up when you feel comfortable.

Highlights
  • Anonymous emotional posts
  • Friend-initiated connection
  • Emotional journal tracking
  • Profile with minimal info
  • Express a range of emotions
  • Community emotional trends
Features
Read full description

Tired of social networks that make you feel worse about yourself? Empath is all about sharing how you actually feel and building deeper connections with people you really care about. Every feeling you post is anonymous, but when a friend hearts one of your posts, Empath tells you who is showing you love. Then if you feel comfortable, you can open up and let that friend know it was you all along. Empath tracks all your posts in an emotional journal, so you can see how your feelings change over time and remember important moments. When we share our feelings, the world feels a whole lot friendlier. Highlights: -Create a profile with only your photo and first name – Empath doesn’t ask for any other information
 -Express how you’re feeling: Calm, Happy, Excited, Angry, Afraid, Sad, or anything in between
 -Anonymously share emotional posts within a supportive online community -Be notified when a friend or loved one hearts your post
 -Open up with people you trust to build deeper, more authentic relationships
 -Track how your feelings change over time -Watch for emotional community trends in the your area and around the globe Neither the Empath app nor the Empath community is qualified to diagnose mental health issues. Please seek the help of professionals for therapy and suicide prevention if needed. You can reach a 24-hour suicide prevention hotline at 800-273-8255. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, dial 911.

About

Hoop

Connect with new people globally and make friends. Browse profiles, send friend requests, and manage your social media connections. Earn in-app currency through various activities to enhance your experience.

Highlights
  • Discover global profiles
  • Send friend requests
  • Add friends on social apps
  • Earn diamonds daily
  • Customize profile
  • Watch videos for rewards
Features
Read full description

EXPLORE Make new friends all over the world with Hoop! Go through millions of profiles from you own country or worldwide.  Send friend requests to the profiles you like and add them on your social apps.  Keep control over your socials and decide who you want to share them with. EARN DIAMONDS You can earn diamonds every day on Hoop. Use them to send friend requests, see the previous profile again or customize your own profile. There are many ways to earn diamonds: • share your profile (the reward is doubled on Sundays!) • daily check-in • level up • watch a video • buy a pack of diamonds Have fun! If you subscribe via Apple,  payment will be charged to App Store Account at confirmation of purchase.  Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period.  Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period at the rate of the selected plan.  Subscriptions and auto-renewal may be managed by going to App Store Account Settings after purchase. Hoop Terms & Conditions: https://hoop.photo/terms/ Hoop Privacy Policy: https://hoop.photo/privacy/

Screenshots

Empath4 screens
Hoop4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Hoop at 4.5 against Empath's 3.1. Hoop also leads on ratings volume (684K vs 70) and review sentiment (64% vs 49%). Empath's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 21) and ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. Hoop sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Empath asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hoop holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hoop has 684K ratings behind it against 70, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of Empath's written reviews are positive against 64% of Hoop's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Empath ships an update monthly, Hoop fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Empath versus Hoop: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmpathHoop
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (70 ratings)4.5 (684K ratings) — better
Positive reviews49.2% of reviews63.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings70684K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#156 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.7 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB200 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperInspiringAppsDazz

Customer experience

Empath

All ratings69 ratings
Positive49.3%
Neutral15.9%
Negative34.8%
Written reviews59 reviews
Positive49.2%
Neutral13.6%
Negative37.3%

Hoop

All ratings684,229 ratings
Positive86.1%
Neutral7.7%
Negative6.2%
Written reviews2,794 reviews
Positive63.8%
Neutral12.6%
Negative23.6%

Bugs and requests

Empath

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Hoop

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Repeated profiles/unable to add people
  • Gems/diamonds not working properly
  • Notifications and request tabs not functioning
  • Photo upload issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to search by location/distance
  • Bring back bio/profile information
  • Add age/interest filters
  • In-app messaging feature

In-app purchases

None

Empath

No in-app purchases

18 purchases

Hoop

Subscriptions2
  • Hoop+ 1 Week$2.997 Days
  • Hoop+ 1 Month$7.991 Month
One-time16
  • 1000 Diamonds$0.99
  • 2300 Diamonds$1.99
  • 800 Diamonds$1.99
Show 13 more
  • 2000 Diamonds$1.99
  • 3000 Diamonds$1.99
  • 4500 Diamonds$2.99
  • 1650 Diamonds$2.99
  • 3300 Diamonds$2.99
  • 1 Boost (1H)$3.99
  • 1 Boost 60 Mins$3.99
  • 1 Boost 1H$3.99
  • 6000 Diamonds$4.99
  • 7200 Diamonds$5.99
  • 13 000 Diamonds$9.99
  • 27 000 Diamonds$19.99
  • 42 000 Diamonds$29.99

Questions

Is Empath free?
Empath is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hoop free?
Hoop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Empath or Hoop?
Hoop is rated higher. Empath averages 3.1 out of 5 from 70 ratings, while Hoop averages 4.5 from 684K ratings.
Do Empath or Hoop have ads?
Hoop shows ads; Empath does not.
Which is updated more often, Empath or Hoop?
Empath ships an update monthly, and Hoop fortnightly. Most recently, Empath was updated on October 24, 2026 and Hoop on November 3, 2026.

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