Prison Voicemail vs eMates
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Prison Voicemail
This app facilitates communication between individuals with incarcerated loved ones. It allows users to send voicemails anytime and receive calls directly to their app, helping to maintain connections and reduce phone credit costs for prisoners. The service is approved by the UK Prison Service.
- Send voicemails anytime
- Receive calls from prisoners
- Track voicemail delivery
- Listen to voicemails and replies
- Mark voicemails as favorites
- Add descriptions to voicemails
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We make it easier for loved ones with a family member in prison to stay in-touch through the exchange of regular voicemails. Leave voicemails at any time. Communication is better when it goes both ways. We help you feel closer to your prisoner by enabling you to leave them voice messages whenever you want. Live calls enable calls to your app from a Prisoner, saving them phone credit. Fully approved by UK Prison Service. • Check to see when your voicemails have been received • Listen again to voicemails and replies • Mark voicemails as favourites and add descriptions to them. • Leave new voicemails straight from the app. • Get hints and tips about the service, and easily contact us. An internet connection is required to access most features.
eMates
Facilitates easy and frequent communication between prisoners and their loved ones. Aims to reduce self-harm by fostering connections and aids in prisoner rehabilitation for release.
- Easy prisoner communication
- Secure messaging
- Reduced self-harm
- Release preparation assistance
- Frequent and varied communication
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eMates (emailaprisoner.com) has the following goals: To help family and friends communicate easily and frequently with Prisoners. To reduce thoughts of self-harm/suicide through increased communication. To assist Prisoners in preparation for release with multiple partner agencies. Communication is a major factor in Prison life and the lack of it can have horrendous consequences. eMates offers a quick, efficient, secure alternative method of communication for Prisoners, their families, friends, legal professionals and related organisations - meaning Prisoners can receive more frequent and varied communication. Documentation continually states Prisoners who are able to maintain family ties are 6 times less likely to re-offend. Please check the locations page to see what features are available at what establishment: https://www.emailaprisoner.com/content/locations
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Prison Voicemail at 60% against eMates's 4%. Prison Voicemail also leads on rating (4.4 vs 2.0) and ratings volume (5 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Prison Voicemail holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Prison Voicemail has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Prison Voicemail's written reviews are positive against 4% of eMates's.
Prison Voicemail ships an update monthly, eMates fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on August 27, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Prison Voicemail | eMates |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (5 ratings) — better | 2.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews — better | 4.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | PHONEHUB IO LTD | Unilink Technology Services |
Customer experience
Prison Voicemail
eMates
Bugs and requests
Prison Voicemail
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
eMates
Reported bugs
32 issues- App crashes frequently
- Messages fail to send or are lost
- Messages fail to receive
- Login screen freezes or doesn't respond
- Cannot log in even with correct credentials
Show 27 moreShow fewer
- Account registration errors
- Password reset functionality not working
- Money added to account but not usable
- Apple Pay not accepted despite being advertised
- App freezes for several seconds upon opening
- Contacts disappear or duplicate
- Video calls not working
- Multi-factor authentication codes not received or invalid
- Emails marked as sent but appear as drafts
- No notifications for replies
- App crashes after updates
- Scanned reply pages not appearing
- Scrolling issues within the app
- Identity verification link not working
- Error messages when trying to upload ID or face scan
- App not connecting to the server
- Old messages disappearing or blank screens
- Photos attached multiple times and charged
- Dates on sent/received emails changing
- Support email addresses bounce back
- Neatphone facility connection problems
- App not refreshing and showing old messages
- Video visit requests disappearing
- Email sending process disappears mid-way
- Unable to schedule video visits
- App not user-friendly
- Confusing credit system
Requested features
18 requests- Improve app stability and reliability
- Fix message sending and receiving issues
- Resolve login and account access problems
- Address payment and credit issues
- Enhance customer support responsiveness
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Improve message delivery speed
- Fix video call functionality
- Ensure Apple Pay compatibility
- Streamline registration process
- Fix password reset and account recovery
- Provide clear instructions for account crediting
- Resolve multi-factor authentication issues
- Improve user interface and experience
- Add notifications for replies
- Allow saving contacts
- Make app more robust and less buggy
- Address issues with image uploads
- Provide clear communication on prison staff reliance
In-app purchases
Prison Voicemail
No in-app purchases
eMates
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Prison Voicemail free?
Is eMates free?
Which has better reviews, Prison Voicemail or eMates?
Do Prison Voicemail or eMates have ads?
Which is updated more often, Prison Voicemail or eMates?
Other comparisons
