# TIM vs Cable Messenger

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Cable Messenger at 83% against TIM's 19%. Cable Messenger also leads on rating (4.5 vs 1.9) and ads (none vs shown). TIM's advantage is ratings volume (731 vs 4). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Cable Messenger holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TIM has 731 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 19% of TIM's written reviews are positive against 83% of Cable Messenger's.

TIM ships an update every 3 months, Cable Messenger every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | TIM | Cable Messenger |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [1.9 (731 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tim-qq/id1175213887/reviews) | **[4.5 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cable-messenger/id1281191882/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **731** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 18.8% of reviews | **83.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 347 MB | 230 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tencent Technology (Shanghai) Company Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/473924491) | [傲创科技](https://appshunter.io/developer/1481815620) |

## What reviewers say

### TIM

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tim-qq/id1175213887)

This instant messaging app focuses on efficient communication and collaboration for work, study, and life. It offers QQ friend and message synchronization, file saving, a favorites feature, and real-time voice and video calls. It also includes task management, scheduling, and collaborative document editing.

**Highlights:** QQ friend and message sync, File saving to cloud storage, Favorites for text, images, links, Real-time voice and video calls, To-do list management, Schedule creation and viewing, Collaborative document editing

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient and focused on chatting
- 👍 Simple and clean UI design
- 🤖 Useful for office work

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🤯 Confusing UI changes
- 🗑️ Removal of useful features like email

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to open shared links
- Inconsistent message synchronization
- Unreliable notification system
- Frequent login issues

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- iPad version
- Improved file sharing and management
- Restore removed features like email


### Cable Messenger

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cable-messenger/id1281191882)

Facilitates private and efficient team communication by masking phone numbers and accounts. Enables one-click contact notifications and multi-channel communication for urgent messages.

**Highlights:** Privacy protection for phone numbers and accounts, One-click contact notification, Efficient multi-channel communication, No personal information exchange, Teamwork collaboration mode

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is TIM free?

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

### Is Cable Messenger free?

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

### Which has better reviews, TIM or Cable Messenger?

Cable Messenger is rated higher. TIM averages 1.9 out of 5 from 731 ratings, while Cable Messenger averages 4.5 from 4 ratings.

### Do TIM or Cable Messenger have ads?

TIM shows ads; Cable Messenger does not.

### Which is updated more often, TIM or Cable Messenger?

TIM ships an update every 3 months, and Cable Messenger every 2 weeks. Most recently, TIM was updated on September 24, 2026 and Cable Messenger on August 11, 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.*