# Are.na vs ORBCHAT

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Are.na at none against ORBCHAT's 7. ORBCHAT's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ORBCHAT sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Are.na asks for nothing beyond the download.

Are.na ships an update every 2 weeks, ORBCHAT daily. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Are.na | ORBCHAT |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (332 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arena/id1299153149/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **332** | — |
| Positive reviews | 52.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 85 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [When It Changed Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1299153148) | [YEN-HAO WANG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1882177334) |

## What reviewers say

### Are.na

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arena/id1299153149)

This platform allows creatives and researchers to save and organize any type of content into collections. It provides a distraction-free space to connect and build ideas, fostering collaboration and community.  It is independent, ad-free, and algorithm-free.

**Highlights:** Save any content type, Organize into collections, Distraction-free space, Collaborate on projects, Share ideas privately or publicly, Thoughtful community

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and clean
- 👍 Minimalist and accessible
- 🖤 Great community and content
- 🖤 Inspiring and creative
- 🖤 Organically curated experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🐛 Laggy performance
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🐛 Unintuitive navigation
- 🐛 Limited functionality compared to website

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to login or sign up
- Blocks not loading or duplicating
- App crashing when viewing GIFs/animations
- Inconsistent behavior across iOS versions
- Navigation issues due to 'Dynamic Island'

**Requested features**

- Ability to sort channels by connections
- Landscape mode support on iPad
- Password reset functionality
- Multiple image/video uploads
- Improved channel management


### ORBCHAT

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orbchat/id6761028832)

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

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 100 ORBS | $0.99 | one-time |
| 550 ORBS | $4.99 | one-time |
| 1200 ORBS | $9.99 | one-time |
| 3200 ORBS | $24.99 | one-time |
| 6600 ORBS | $49.99 | one-time |
| 15000 ORBS | $99.99 | one-time |
| 4000 ORBS | $199.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Are.na free?

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

### Is ORBCHAT free?

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

### Do Are.na or ORBCHAT have ads?

Neither Are.na nor ORBCHAT shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Are.na or ORBCHAT?

Are.na ships an update every 2 weeks, and ORBCHAT daily. Most recently, Are.na was updated on October 16, 2026 and ORBCHAT on October 6, 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.*