Comparison

Magnet Essential vs dialbird

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

Head to head
About

Magnet Essential

Features
Read full description

The Essential App allows you to use your company’s Magnet Voice PBX system from any iPhone or iPad to Make and Receive Calls, chat with colleagues individually or in groups and access your Magnet Voicemail box. •Professional, modern and intuitive app design. •Making use of Apple’s Callkit Technology makes for familiar call handling, integration with iPhone contacts / recents lists and easy use of Bluetooth headsets and carkits. •Making use of Apple’s Push technology ensures you are contactable whilst preserving battery life. •Single number for both fixed and mobile devices. •Incoming calls to your fixed desk phone are automatically routed to your iPhone/iPad. •Incoming calls to the App show the number of the caller, not the PBX. •All outgoing calls from your App show the company number, not your mobile number. •Make calls from your iPhone/iPad contact list or from the company central address book in the PBX. In either case you present the CLI number of the company PBX. •Busy on mobile device status is indicated to other users. •Call history - missed calls, received calls, dialled calls. •Listen to and manage your business voicemails. •Chat with colleagues either individually or in groups. •Presence … You can change your own DND Message and you can also see the status and availability of your Colleagues •The PBX may be programmed to send all your app calls over IP or to the GSM network when you are off site and over Wifi on your LAN. •The Essential App uses Voice over IP (VoIP) technology over both Wifi and 4G networks. Call quality is dependent on the quality of your 4G network or available WiFi network.

About

dialbird

This mobile app provides a dedicated business phone number for teams, keeping personal numbers private and facilitating collaboration on calls and messages. It offers flexible plans and features like shared contacts, custom greetings, and auto-replies, all managed within a single app.

Highlights
  • Team collaboration on calls and messages
  • Multiple business phone numbers
  • Contact sharing within workspace
  • Set working hours per number
  • Voicemails with optional transcripts
  • Customizable call greetings
  • Auto-reply for missed calls
Read full description

One platform for every business conversation. Dialbird is the next-generation business communication platform for modern teams. Bringing calls, messages, and numbers together across web and mobile, it gives your team one shared workspace to stay aligned, responsive, and in control. Communication that moves with your team Work seamlessly across both mobile and web, so your team can be on top of every conversation; at the desk, on the go, or anywhere in between. Stay responsive throughout the day Voicemail transcripts, call recording, auto-replies, and custom greetings help your business stay organized, available, and consistent from first contact to follow-up. Clear separation between work and personal Use business numbers without relying on personal numbers, giving your team the privacy they need and your business the professionalism customers expect. Collaborate with more context A shared inbox, shared numbers, shared contacts, internal threads, and team chat give your team the visibility needed to respond faster and work better together. Greater control by default Manage business hours, working hours, call forwarding, number blocking, and user access settings with the flexibility to match the way your business operates. Business numbers and calling Manage your included number, add more as needed, and handle calls with forwarding, greetings, recording, voicemail transcripts, and blocking controls. Messaging and teamwork Keep conversations moving with a shared inbox, shared contacts, snippets, contact lists, broadcast messaging, team chat, and internal collaboration tools. Availability and admin Set working hours, automate replies, and manage permissions with role-based access in one secure and encrypted platform. Built for every stage of growth From early-stage teams to growing operations, Dialbird is designed to scale with your business. Terms of Use : https://dialbird.io/terms

Screenshots

Magnet Essential4 screens
dialbird4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Magnet Essential at none against dialbird's 1. dialbird's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. dialbird sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per month. Magnet Essential asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Magnet Essential ships an update every 5 months, dialbird every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Magnet Essential versus dialbird: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMagnet Essentialdialbird
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—36.7% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB92 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMDS GatewaysRamo Technologies LLC

Bugs and requests

Magnet Essential

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

dialbird

Reported bugs

28 issues
  • Constantly asked to do KYC and app stops working
  • App never updates, requires sign out/in
  • Occasional missed calls and text messages without alerts
  • Update killed templates, can't edit
  • Character count on texts requires splitting
Show 23 more
  • Messages never send, undelivered errors
  • Doesn't send photos
  • Reached introductory offer limit for paid version
  • Can't see or save media
  • Can't increase screen size to see text
  • Impossible to login, not getting email verification
  • Calls are terrible, app says 'failed to load'
  • Call quality is poor, delay in hearing caller
  • Incoming calls and texts straight up don't work
  • Messages do not arrive
  • All calls are marked as missed
  • App keeps making me get a new number
  • Doesn't ring or send notifications
  • Cannot receive third party verification SMS
  • No tech support other than automated responses
  • Contact page disappears before sending
  • Text is tiny throughout app, no accessibility options
  • Photos problem, no place to upload a picture
  • All incoming calls are marked under chalkboard name
  • Defeated purpose of having a business number without service
  • Information shared with third parties, receiving spam texts
  • Clients getting bad link or nothing sent
  • Verification code does not work

Requested features

15 requests
  • Notification badges
  • Dynamic text size support
  • Web version for laptop use
  • Mass delete messages
  • Option to make fonts/text bigger
Show 10 more
  • Mass delete button
  • Auto-response function to text messages
  • Web version
  • Dark mode
  • Accessibility options
  • Set hours of contact to avoid disturbance
  • Place to upload pictures/send photos
  • Professional voicemail settings
  • Option to use without active cell number
  • Fix verification code issues

In-app purchases

None

Magnet Essential

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

dialbird

Subscriptions1
  • Chalkboard7 Days trial$9.991 Month

Questions

Is Magnet Essential free?
Magnet Essential is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is dialbird free?
dialbird is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Magnet Essential or dialbird have ads?
Neither Magnet Essential nor dialbird shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Magnet Essential or dialbird?
Magnet Essential ships an update every 5 months, and dialbird every 3 weeks. Most recently, Magnet Essential was updated on October 29, 2026 and dialbird on November 3, 2026.

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