Backbone vs Sealr Chat
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Backbone
Transform your iPhone or iPad into a powerful gaming console. Play a wide range of games and services, record and share epic gameplay moments, and connect with friends for seamless multiplayer experiences. Discover and launch your favorite controller-supported games from a single app.
- Play any game or service supporting controllers
- Record, edit, and share gameplay clips
- Automatic highlight detection
- Friend notifications and in-app voice chat
- Centralized game launcher
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Backbone turns your iPhone and iPad Mini into the ultimate gaming device. ■ Play any game or service that supports game controllers. The Backbone One controller works with services like PS Remote Play, Xbox Game Pass (xCloud), Apple Arcade, Xbox Remote Play, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna. It also works with games like Call of Duty: Mobile, Minecraft and Genshin Impact. Press the Backbone Button to bring up the app and launch into your favorite games that support controllers from one place. ■ Record, edit, and share epic gaming clips Backbone One has a built-in Capture button that allows you to easily screen record or screenshot gameplay and share directly to social platforms like Instagram Stories and iMessage, all directly from your mobile device. ■ Never miss a moment Hold the Capture Button to bookmark a moment when recording. Forgot to bookmark? Once a video is captured, Backbone’s app helps you identify your most action-packed moments automatically, allowing you to show off your best moments and highlights with ease. ■ Party with your friends With Backbone’s Rich Presence feature, you can get push notifications when your friends start playing games on Backbone, making it easy to join the action in real-time. Once you see a friend online, you can link up for voice chat inside the app and move from game to game, seamlessly. To learn more, download the app or visit https://backbone.com/ A Backbone+ subscription is required for some features within the app. Any feedback? Use the in-app feedback tool, ping us at support@playbackbone.com or tweet us @backbone Terms of Use: https://backbone.com/terms/
Sealr Chat
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Sealr is private messaging built around one idea: your text and your media stay under your control - even after you hit send. Every message and every photo, video, voice note and document is end-to-end encrypted. Not even Sealr can read them. But Sealr goes further than encryption. You decide the rules for each message: • Views - let it be opened a set number of times, then it's gone. • Expiry - set a moment after which the message disappears. • Geo-fence - lock a message so it can only be opened in a place you choose. • Keyhole - reveal only a small part of a photo or document; the rest stays hidden. • Ghost capture - take a photo or video that goes straight into the chat, encrypted, and never touches the recipient's gallery. More privacy by design: • No profile pictures, no public profiles. • Screen-capture and screen-mirroring are blocked while Sealr is open. • Group chats with encrypted titles. • Find friends by phone or email, or scan a QR code - no usernames to leak. Your text. Your media. Your rules.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sealr Chat at none against Backbone's 16. Sealr Chat also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Backbone's advantage is chart position (#65 vs unranked). On price, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. Backbone sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Sealr Chat asks for nothing beyond the download.
Backbone ships an update every 3 weeks, Sealr Chat every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Backbone | Sealr Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (102K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 51.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 102K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | #65 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 441 MB | 59 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Backbone Labs, Inc. (US) | ISI Labs Ltd |
Bugs and requests
Backbone
Reported bugs
4 issues- Random disconnections during gameplay
- App crashes and freezes
- Issues with controller button mapping
- Incompatibility with certain games
Requested features
4 requests- Allow use without subscription
- Add more customization options
- Improve compatibility with various phone models
- Integrate with more cloud gaming services
Sealr Chat
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Backbone
- Backbone+7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Backbone+$3.991 Month
- Backbone+$7.991 Month
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- Backbone+1 Month trial2 variants$29.991 Year
- Backbone+1 Year trial$29.991 Year
- Backbone+1 Year trial2 variants$39.991 Year
- Backbone+1 Month trial$39.991 Year
- Backbone+3 Months trial$39.991 Year
- Backbone+7 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Backbone+14 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Backbone+3 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Backbone+ 41 Year trial$39.991 Year
- Backbone+14 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Backbone+7 Days trial$49.991 Year
Sealr Chat
No in-app purchases









