# Text Vault vs Buddies Beacon

The clearest difference is rating: Buddies Beacon at 5.0 against Text Vault's 4.4. Buddies Beacon also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). Text Vault's advantage is ratings volume (23K vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On price there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Text Vault sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Buddies Beacon asks for nothing beyond the download.

Buddies Beacon holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Text Vault has 23K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Text Vault ships an update every 3 weeks, Buddies Beacon weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Text Vault | Buddies Beacon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (23K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-vault-texting-app/id1186010974/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddies-beacon/id6797344092/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **23K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 77.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 93 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Phoner Holdings LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895136973) | [Liam Maxwell](https://appshunter.io/developer/1885715770) |

## What reviewers say

### Text Vault

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-vault-texting-app/id1186010974)

Protect your real phone number with a private, disposable number for texting. Send and receive messages, including pictures, with temporary or permanent numbers from various countries. Keep your personal information secret during online transactions or when texting strangers.

**Highlights:** Disposable burner phone numbers, Private texting and SMS, International texting, MMS Picture Messaging support, Message deletion for privacy, Caller ID lookup, Do Not Disturb scheduling

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| New Number Offer | $4.99 | per month |
| Different Number Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Virtual Number | $9.99 | per month |
| Alternate Number | $9.99 | per month |
| Different Number | $14.99 | per month |
| 50 Text Credits | $4.99 | one-time |
| Starter Credits | $4.99 | one-time |
| 100 Text Credits | $5.99 | one-time |
| Number Level 4 | $9.99 | one-time |
| 250 Text Credits | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app
- 👍 Amazing
- 👍 Very Cool texting App
- 👍 Nice
- 👍 Cool

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Can't call
- 🐛 Some glitches here and there, other than that...
- 💰 Expensive non functional app
- 💰 Bait and Switch
- 💰 Stupid game don't buy it

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices
- Texts not always delivered

**Requested features**

- Voice messages
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard


### Buddies Beacon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddies-beacon/id6797344092)

This app allows users to send location-based signals to a select group of friends. Friends can respond with quick status updates, and location sharing is temporary and controlled by the user. It focuses on direct communication without public feeds or usernames.

**Highlights:** Send location beacons to friends, Receive quick status responses, Temporary and controlled location sharing, Create custom buddy lists, Plan future meetups with flares, Signal presence in crowds

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Text Vault free?

Text Vault is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Buddies Beacon free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Text Vault or Buddies Beacon?

Buddies Beacon is rated higher. Text Vault averages 4.4 out of 5 from 23K ratings, while Buddies Beacon averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Text Vault or Buddies Beacon have ads?

Text Vault shows ads; Buddies Beacon does not.

### Which is updated more often, Text Vault or Buddies Beacon?

Text Vault ships an update every 3 weeks, and Buddies Beacon weekly. Most recently, Text Vault was updated on November 3, 2026 and Buddies Beacon on October 24, 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.*