# Bark vs Chatbox

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chatbox at none against Bark's 2. Chatbox also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (619 vs 105). Bark's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (98% vs 78%). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bark sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.69 per year. Chatbox asks for nothing beyond the download.

Bark holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chatbox has 619 ratings behind it against 105, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 98% of Bark's written reviews are positive against 78% of Chatbox's.

Bark ships an update every 3 weeks, Chatbox weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bark | Chatbox |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (105 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bark-custom-notifications/id1403753865/reviews)** | [4.6 (619 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chatbox-powerful-ai-client/id6471368056/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 105 | **619** |
| Positive reviews | **98.3% of reviews** | 77.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 32 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [丰 黄](https://appshunter.io/developer/1090589311) | [2.5 HK LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1772881024) |

## What reviewers say

### Bark

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bark-custom-notifications/id1403753865)

Send custom push notifications to your iPhone via an HTTP API. Supports advanced features like custom icons, grouping, and critical alerts. Offers privacy-protected, end-to-end encrypted pushes with self-deployable server options.

**Highlights:** HTTP API for push notifications, Custom icons and grouping, Continuous and critical alerts, End-to-end push encryption, Self-deployable server options, Privacy-protected notifications

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Continuous support | $2.69 | per year |
| One-time donation | $2.69 | one-time |


### Chatbox

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chatbox-powerful-ai-client/id6471368056)

This application acts as a universal client, connecting you to leading AI models across various devices. It offers features like code assistance, image generation, and smart file understanding, all while prioritizing local data storage for privacy.

**Highlights:** Connect to multiple AI models, Analyze documents, images, and code, AI-powered code generation and optimization, Text-to-image generation, Local data storage for privacy, Cross-device synchronization

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good customization options
- 🚀 Works well with local LLMs
- 💡 Supports multiple API formats
- 🔒 Privacy-focused (account-free)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Local network access issues on iOS
- 🐛 Compatibility problems with older iOS versions
- 🐛 Streaming response issues
- 🐛 UI/UX not optimized for mobile

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot select Ollama models
- Custom API URL connections failing
- Live scrolling issues during streaming
- Proxy settings not working on mobile

**Requested features**

- Add support for local Ollama models
- Improve organization features (folders, projects, etc.)
- Implement iCloud syncing
- Add Chinese language support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bark free?

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

### Is Chatbox free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Bark or Chatbox?

Bark is rated higher. Bark averages 4.9 out of 5 from 105 ratings, while Chatbox averages 4.6 from 619 ratings.

### Do Bark or Chatbox have ads?

Neither Bark nor Chatbox shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bark or Chatbox?

Bark ships an update every 3 weeks, and Chatbox weekly. Most recently, Bark was updated on September 21, 2026 and Chatbox on September 23, 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.*