Comparison

Basic.Space vs Gem

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

Head to head
About

Basic.Space

Discover and purchase exclusive, curated items in design, art, and fashion. Access private online drops and unique member-only events. This marketplace is for those seeking personal, experimental, and true creations.

Highlights
  • Curated marketplace
  • Exclusive product drops
  • Access to new and next trends
  • Members-only events
  • Global network of creatives
Features
Read full description

Basic.Space is an obsessively curated marketplace. Shop timeless classics and what’s new and next. This space is not for everyone.
This space is not mass produced. Conventional. Or influenced.
This space is personal. Experimental. True. Our members are part of a global network of creatives and designers with access to: - Preview and purchase private, curated online drops featuring the most coveted products in design, art, and fashion. - Unique members-only events and experiences during major design, art, and fashion weeks. Own The Future.

About

Gem

Discover secondhand and vintage clothing efficiently across numerous online stores and marketplaces. Find specific items or browse by decade and brand, with options to save favorites and receive notifications. Purchase directly from the seller's website without additional fees.

Highlights
  • Unified search for resale sites
  • Image search functionality
  • Filter by price, size, location, decade
  • Browse by decade, brand, gender
  • Save favorite items
  • Push/email notifications
  • Direct purchase from seller
Features
Read full description

The most efficient app for finding secondhand clothing. • One fast search for all resale sites and stores • No additional fees • Keep track of your searches with push/email notifications • Search with image • Filter by price, size, location, decade, gender • Browse by decade, brand, gender • Save favorites • Buy the item on the store website — FEATURED IN “Fashion writers, vintage collectors and costume designers all use this app” – The New York Times “You can find vintage or secondhand alternatives to items you’d normally buy new” – Vogue US “Anything I consider getting, I first search it on Gem” – New York Magazine “What We Love: Gem searches for items from independent stores and resale platforms—drawing from over 150 million listings across the internet.” – App Store US — Gem brings together thousands of online vintage & secondhand stores and marketplaces into one simple search. Once you find the item you’re looking for, you can buy it directly from the seller website, without extra cost. Gem is open to all online vintage & secondhand clothing stores. Contact us if you would like your store to be included. — Screenshots product image credits: Twofold_b, Community Thrift and Vintage, SSLOPPYSSECONDS, BrassCactusVintageCo, CannedHamVintage, Halcyon West, ButterworthsVintage, James Veloria, Wayward Collection, Recess LA, CALIVINTAGEUSA, BrooklynThread, cottonmouth, Fair Season, Na Nin, SouthwestVintage, MiscELENAeous, Libbysmomsvintage

Screenshots

Basic.Space4 screens
Gem4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Gem at 97% against Basic.Space's 67%. Gem also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.6) and ratings volume (977 vs 321). Basic.Space's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Gem holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 321 and 977 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Basic.Space's written reviews are positive against 97% of Gem's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Basic.Space ships an update weekly, Gem every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Basic.Space versus Gem: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBasic.SpaceGem
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (321 ratings)4.9 (977 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews96.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings321977 — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size160 MB51 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperBasic Space, IncGem Search, LLC

Customer experience

Basic.Space

All ratings321 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral1.9%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews33 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Gem

All ratings977 ratings
Positive97.6%
Neutral0.9%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews406 reviews
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.2%
Negative2.0%

User reviews

Basic.Space

From 321 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Community of creatives
  • 💡 Innovative shopping experience
  • 🤩 Engaging and addicting
  • 👍 Easy to find items
  • 🌟 Great curation

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App is buggy
  • 🤷‍♀️ Complicated seller experience
  • 💸 Misleading promotion
  • 🚫 Sign in with Apple crashes
  • ❌ Can't create account

Gem

From 977 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Must have app
  • 🚀 Efficient way to search across platforms
  • 💎 Gem of an app for vintage lovers
  • 🔍 Comprehensive search for vintage items
  • 🛒 Streamlines online vintage shopping

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Limited search filters
  • 💾 Limits on saved searches/items
  • 🔍 Inaccurate search results at times
  • 🤖 Needs better algorithm to surface relevant items

Bugs and requests

Basic.Space

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • App crashes on sign in
  • Items removed without reason
  • Error message on verification
  • Keyboard covers input field
  • Random video audios play
Show 8 more
  • Hard to search/filter
  • Phone registration code issue
  • App glitches, won't search
  • No search filter
  • Can't post items
  • Feed forced scrolling
  • Algorithm glitches
  • Phone not verified error

Requested features

5 requests
  • Contact for help
  • More videos/creators
  • Filter by size/category
  • iPad version
  • Clearer item wear/damage info

Gem

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Inconsistent display of sold items in search results
  • Occasional app crashes or freezes

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add image search functionality
  • Expand search filters (e.g. condition, category)
  • Improve saved search/item organization
  • Include more platforms (e.g. Mercari, The RealReal)

In-app purchases

None

Basic.Space

No in-app purchases

None

Gem

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Basic.Space free?
Basic.Space is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Gem free?
Gem is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Basic.Space or Gem?
Gem is rated higher. Basic.Space averages 4.6 out of 5 from 321 ratings, while Gem averages 4.9 from 977 ratings.
Do Basic.Space or Gem have ads?
Neither Basic.Space nor Gem shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Basic.Space or Gem?
Basic.Space ships an update weekly, and Gem every 2 months. Most recently, Basic.Space was updated on October 13, 2026 and Gem on October 16, 2026.

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