Comparison

WhatCall vs xDesk

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

Head to head
About

WhatCall

This app allows you to bypass ringing and connect directly to someone's voicemail. It provides an instant missed call notification, giving you an excuse to have tried calling while avoiding actual conversation. It works globally on most networks, including landlines and mobiles.

Highlights
  • Instant voicemail connection
  • Missed call notification
  • Global network compatibility
  • Automatic dial code detection
  • Bypass ringing
  • Leave messages without conversation
Features
Read full description

Simply dial with WhatCall and the person you dial will receive an instant missed call from your number, while you are directed straight to their voicemail without ringing and any possibility of them answering your call. WhatCall helps you avoid returning or making a call when you don't really want to speak to someone, but gives you the excuse and proof that you tried! With WhatCall they'll even receive a missed call text message from their network if it supports that feature! WhatCall works in every country and on most networks that have a voicemail including landline and mobile. It automatically figures out all the dialling codes so you can go ahead and dial in the same local format you use on your iPhone (See screenshot examples for US, UK and Japan). Examples of where WhatCall is useful: - Calling in sick to work but don't want to speak to your boss and answer lots of awkward questions. With WhatCall your boss with think you tried calling them while you can leave a voicemail letting them know you won't be in to work. - Returning a call to a friend or partner when you're busy and don't have time to speak to them. WhatCall will connect you straight to voicemail allowing you to leave a message without spending precious time getting drawn into a conversation. - Leaving a message for someone you know is unable to answer the phone (eg. in a meeting or putting a baby to sleep) but may have forgotten to turn off their phone. WhatCall will direct your phone calls to their voicemail without ringing and disturbing them. - Leaving an important message for someone when you don't have time for a full conversation or to type out a long SMS message, use WhatCall and dial direct to voicemail instead.

About

xDesk

Organize all your personal data in one place, from notes and photos to documents and recordings. Create custom cards for anything, with built-in tools for scanning, recording, and managing deadlines. Share information securely with others via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Customizable data cards
  • Integrated recorder with transcription
  • Document scanner to PDF
  • Deadline tracking and countdowns
  • Secure iCloud sharing
  • Cross-device support (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch)
Features
Read full description

Why switch between five apps when one will do? xDesk is the Swiss Army knife of your personal data: an archive you build yourself, where everything has a card and every card has its place. Notes, photos, scanned documents, recordings with their transcript, deadlines, the grocery list, contacts, routes. One app, and the same one in your pocket, on the table, on the desk and on your wrist: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch. NO SERVERS, NO SIGN-UP Your data lives in your iCloud. We don't ask for an account, we don't ask for an email, we have no servers to put it on: we never had any. What you write in xDesk is yours, stays yours, and is seen only by you and the people you choose to share it with. A CARD FOR EVERYTHING A folder for the house, one for the car, one for clients, one for grandma and her recipes. You build each card yourself, as a grid: text, numbers, dates, photos, maps, QR codes, drawings, signatures. Twenty seconds. Or start from one of sixteen ready-made models: document, vehicle, warranty, Wi-Fi network, subscription, meeting, list. RECORD, AND IT BECOMES TEXT A recorder that writes down what it hears, on your phone, without sending the audio to anyone. If there are two of you, it tells the voices apart. A scanner that straightens crooked pages and turns them into a PDF. A calendar that picks the deadlines out of every card and puts them on your first page, with a countdown. SHARE WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY A folder shared through iCloud: the grocery list your kids update from their phone, quotes with colleagues, site photos with the crew. Inside there is also the space's chat, end-to-end encrypted, so the important thing sits next to the thing it refers to. WALK, TRAVEL, TRAIN Record a route, plan the stops of a trip with computed times, keep your heart rate from the watch. It all ends up in cards, like everything else. FREE TO START The free part stays free: unlimited cards and folders, the recorder, the scanner, one shared folder. When xDesk becomes the way you work there is xDesk Pro: full transcripts with speakers told apart, unlimited models, PDFs with your letterhead, messages in shared spaces, the password vault. Monthly, yearly, or once and forever. Next time someone asks "where did you put it?", answer with a tap. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

WhatCall4 screens
xDesk4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: xDesk at 100% against WhatCall's 54%. xDesk also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.2) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). WhatCall's advantage is ratings volume (600 vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). 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. WhatCall sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and xDesk sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

xDesk holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WhatCall has 600 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of WhatCall's written reviews are positive against 100% of xDesk's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WhatCall ships an update every 5 weeks, xDesk fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
WhatCall versus xDesk: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhatCallxDesk
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (600 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews54.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings600 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB60 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperInnovative Developers LTDNas-Games

Customer experience

WhatCall

All ratings600 ratings
Positive78.3%
Neutral0.8%
Negative20.8%
Written reviews188 reviews
Positive54.3%
Neutral2.7%
Negative43.1%

xDesk

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

WhatCall

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Calls go directly to person, not voicemail
  • Stuck on 'connecting' screen
  • Won't leave voicemail
  • Takes credits but doesn't work
  • Verification issues
Show 2 more
  • Rings the phone instead of going to voicemail
  • Instant call end

Requested features

2 requests
  • Option to display 'unknown' or 'unverified' number
  • Prerecorded voicemail feature

xDesk

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

WhatCall

One-time5
  • 5 credit pack$2.99
  • 12 credit pack$5.99
  • 20 credit pack$7.99
Show 2 more
  • 30 credit pack$9.99
  • 40 credit pack$12.99
3 purchases

xDesk

Subscriptions2
  • 1 Year sub. 15 days trial$6.991 Year
  • All Features (1Year)$6.991 Year
One-time1
  • lifetime unlock$24.99

Questions

Is WhatCall free?
WhatCall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is xDesk free?
xDesk is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, WhatCall or xDesk?
xDesk is rated higher. WhatCall averages 4.2 out of 5 from 600 ratings, while xDesk averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do WhatCall or xDesk have ads?
Neither WhatCall nor xDesk shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WhatCall or xDesk?
WhatCall ships an update every 5 weeks, and xDesk fortnightly. Most recently, WhatCall was updated on September 29, 2026 and xDesk on September 26, 2026.

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