Comparison

Away Messages vs Fext

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

Head to head
About

Away Messages

Easily generate professional-looking away messages for various situations like vacations or being out of office. While it doesn't send messages automatically due to iOS limitations, it streamlines the creation process, saving you valuable time.

Highlights
  • Create professional away messages
  • Set message end dates
  • Preset and custom message reasons
  • Select alternative contacts
  • Save previous settings
  • Manage custom messages
Read full description

Whether you are on vacation, out of office, sick or just don't want to be bothered you can now easily create a professional looking away message. ****This app does not send messages automatically for you. Apple's iOS doesn't allow messages to be sent from an app. Apps can only populate the text field and the user still has to press the send button. If Apple removes this limitation in the future, the app will be updated to send messages automatically.**** This app on the other hand does the next best thing and makes generating an away message super easy and efficient saving you time, when you need it most, during your time off!**** It's simple and easy to use! You just: 1.) Set your away message end date 2.) Pick a reason why you are out (can be custom) 3.) Pick an alternative contact while you are out 4.) Hit the create message button 5.) Send the created Away Message All your previous settings will be saved, so next time you went to send a message, you just open Away Messages and tap the create button and you are done! Also you can create and manage your custom Away Messages. Away Messages saves you time when you need it most, during your time off. Features: * Simple UI * Set end date for your away message * Preset messages for most common reasons to be out of the office * Create endless amount of custom away messages * Use your address book to pick an alternative contact while you are out * Previous settings are saved, to save you time on your next away message Feel free to contact me with questions, comments, or feedback by using the app support page or be using my contact form: https://wildmazz.wordpress.com/contact/

About

Fext

Send a single message to multiple recipients, with each person receiving it as a private, one-on-one SMS. This app offers a simple, fast, and organized way to conduct group texting without the clutter of traditional group chats. It's designed for personal outreach and clear communication.

Highlights
  • Private one-on-one SMS delivery
  • No noisy group threads
  • Create flexible groups
  • Reuse message templates
  • Attach photos, video, or audio
Features
Read full description

Fext is a texting app for iPhone and iPad. Send one message to many people; each person receives it as a private one-on-one SMS. Simple, fast, organized, and personal — like Messages, but built to scale. Simple texting at its finest. Built for real-world outreach • Send text messages that read like individual conversations • Run clean, direct group texts without noisy threads • Create flexible groups and reuse templates • Attach photos, video, or audio when needed Why people choose it They want a group messaging app that behaves like Messages, not a group chat. They want easy texting with a personal feel. They want the speed of SMS, without reply-all clutter. They want to reach people fast and keep communication clear and direct. If you’re looking for a group text app that can send clean group texts and stay simple, Fext was built for that. Group text. Personal delivery.  You will need a subscription in order to get access to app's features. Each subscription will be automatically renewed unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current payment period. Your iTunes account will be automatically charged at the same price for renewal within the 24-hour period prior to the end of the current payment period unless you change your subscription preferences in your iTunes Account Settings. When a subscription is canceled, access to the app’s features will expire at the end of the current payment period. Questions: contact@pericarp.io Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Away Messages4 screens
Fext4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Fext at Free against Away Messages's $0.99. Fext also leads on rating (4.0 vs 1.5) and review sentiment (24% vs 13%). Away Messages's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 16) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On update cadence, ads 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

Fext is free to download; Away Messages costs $0.99 up front. Fext sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Away Messages asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Fext holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 1.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 121 and 550 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 13% of Away Messages's written reviews are positive against 24% of Fext's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Away Messages ships an update weekly, Fext every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Away Messages versus Fext: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAway MessagesFext
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating1.5 (121 ratings)4.0 (550 ratings) — better
Positive reviews12.5% of reviews24.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings121550 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB82 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichael WildermuthPericarp Inc.

Customer experience

Away Messages

All ratings121 ratings
Positive11.6%
Neutral2.5%
Negative86.0%
Written reviews72 reviews
Positive12.5%
Neutral1.4%
Negative86.1%

Fext

All ratings551 ratings
Positive73.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative19.6%
Written reviews90 reviews
Positive24.4%
Neutral5.6%
Negative70.0%

User reviews

Away Messages

From 121 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Saves time for common messages
  • 👍 Easy to use for some users
  • 👍 Good for sales professionals
  • 👍 Useful for out-of-office replies

Room to improve

  • 👎 Does not auto-reply
  • 👎 Misleading advertisement
  • 👎 App not found/no icon
  • 👎 Manual sending required
  • 👎 Waste of money/time

Fext

From 550 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐️ Great messaging app
  • 🚀 Amazing text app
  • 🔒 Privacy settings provide peace of mind
  • 📢 Frequent updates add new features

Room to improve

  • 🤯 Not user friendly at all
  • 🤔 Can't use own phone number
  • 💰 Expensive and obtrusive
  • 🤖 Everything locked behind paywall
  • 🤨 Misleading and only cares about money

Bugs and requests

Away Messages

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App does not show up on phone
  • App does not send messages automatically
  • Cannot find the app after purchase
  • App stalls on a message and doesn't re-open
  • App only auto-populates message into text field, not automatic reply
Show 6 more
  • No way to create or save custom responses
  • App only opens from App Store
  • App only opens to the last contact texted
  • App not working for iMessage on iPhone X
  • Cannot access app or get support
  • Cannot delete the app

Requested features

4 requests
  • Implement true automatic replies
  • Allow developers to access text message functionality for auto-sending
  • Add a dark mode option
  • Provide advanced analytics dashboard

Fext

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Verification process fails
  • Can't log in or sign up
  • Scheduled texts not sent
  • Glitches and crashes

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow scheduling texts from own number
  • Integrate with iPhone Messages app
  • Add auto-search function for Pro numbers
  • Provide better customer support and communication

In-app purchases

None

Away Messages

No in-app purchases

16 purchases

Fext

Subscriptions12
  • Fext Plus$1.997 Days
  • Fext Plus$3.991 Month
  • Fext Gold$3.997 Days
Show 9 more
  • Fext Plus$7.993 Months
  • Unlimited$8.997 Days
  • Personal Phone Number$9.997 Days
  • Fext Platinum$19.993 Months
  • Personal Phone Number$19.991 Month
  • Unlimited$29.991 Month
  • Personal Phone Number$49.991 Year
  • Unlimited Promotion$49.991 Year
  • Unlimited7 Days trial$69.991 Year
One-time4
  • 100 SMS Credits$9.99
  • 250 SMS Credits$19.99
  • 2000 SMS Credits$119.99
Show 1 more
  • 25000 SMS Credits$999.99

Questions

Is Away Messages free?
Away Messages costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Fext free?
Fext is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Away Messages or Fext?
Fext is rated higher. Away Messages averages 1.5 out of 5 from 121 ratings, while Fext averages 4.0 from 550 ratings.
Do Away Messages or Fext have ads?
Neither Away Messages nor Fext shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Away Messages or Fext?
Away Messages ships an update weekly, and Fext every 5 days. Most recently, Away Messages was updated on October 24, 2026 and Fext on October 29, 2026.

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