# Prison Voicemail vs eMates

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Prison Voicemail | eMates |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/prison-voicemail/id1174278040/reviews)** | [2.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emates/id1573352170/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **60.0% of reviews** | 4.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 30 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PHONEHUB IO LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1174278039) | [Unilink Technology Services](https://appshunter.io/developer/1253866276) |

## What reviewers say

### Prison Voicemail

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/prison-voicemail/id1174278040)

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.

**Highlights:** Send voicemails anytime, Receive calls from prisoners, Track voicemail delivery, Listen to voicemails and replies, Mark voicemails as favorites, Add descriptions to voicemails

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### eMates

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emates/id1573352170)

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.

**Highlights:** Easy prisoner communication, Secure messaging, Reduced self-harm, Release preparation assistance, Frequent and varied communication

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Essential service for communication
- 👍 Better than nothing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Messages not sending or receiving
- 🐛 Login issues and account problems
- 🐛 Payment issues and money lost
- 🐛 Poor customer support

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Prison Voicemail free?

Prison Voicemail is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is eMates free?

eMates is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Prison Voicemail or eMates?

Prison Voicemail is rated higher. Prison Voicemail averages 4.4 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while eMates averages 2.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Prison Voicemail or eMates have ads?

Neither Prison Voicemail nor eMates shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Prison Voicemail or eMates?

Prison Voicemail ships an update monthly, and eMates fortnightly. Most recently, Prison Voicemail was updated on August 27, 2026 and eMates on September 20, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*