# Session vs Iridium Chat

The clearest difference is rating: Iridium Chat at 5.0 against Session's 4.4. Iridium Chat also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 61%) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). Session's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (5.2K vs 1). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Session sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.49 per month. Iridium Chat asks for nothing beyond the download.

Iridium Chat holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Session has 5.2K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of Session's written reviews are positive against 100% of Iridium Chat's.

Session ships an update fortnightly, Iridium Chat every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Session | Iridium Chat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (5.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/session-private-messenger/id1470168868/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iridium-chat/id6476648492/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.2K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 61.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | **#99** | — |
| Size | 92 MB | 99 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Loki Project](https://appshunter.io/developer/1465686521) | [Iridium](https://appshunter.io/developer/634954979) |

## What reviewers say

### Session

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/session-private-messenger/id1470168868)

**Currently charting:** #99 Top Free · Social Networking (US App Store)

This secure messenger prioritizes your privacy with a decentralized network and end-to-end encryption. It offers anonymous account creation, IP address protection, and private group chats without collecting any metadata. Share messages and files with confidence, knowing your communications are truly private.

**Highlights:** Anonymous account creation, Decentralized server network, No metadata logging, IP address protection, End-to-end encrypted group chats, Secure file sharing

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Session Pro | $4.49 | per month |
| Session Pro | $11.99 | per 3 months |
| Session Pro | $35.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🔒 Secure and private messaging
- 👍 Clean and intuitive user interface
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 🔒 No phone number or personal data required
- 💡 Innovative use of blockchain and Tor network

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unreliable notifications and message delivery
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Slow media file transfers
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 👎 Limited features compared to competitors

**Reported bugs**

- Messages not syncing across devices
- Inability to join or view group chats
- Attachments and media not loading properly
- Frequent app crashes and freezes

**Requested features**

- Add voice and video calling
- Implement self-destruct/ephemeral messaging
- Allow customization of chat backgrounds and themes
- Improve group chat functionality
- Add support for multiple accounts/identities


### Iridium Chat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iridium-chat/id6476648492)

This app enables real-time, app-to-app instant messaging and image sharing globally via a satellite Wi-Fi device. It offers an always-on messaging experience, group chats, and location sharing.

**Highlights:** Real-time app-to-app messaging, Global satellite network access, Group chats up to 50 people, Image sharing with compression, Location sharing via clickable link, Contact syncing

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Session free?

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

### Is Iridium Chat free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Session or Iridium Chat?

Iridium Chat is rated higher. Session averages 4.4 out of 5 from 5.2K ratings, while Iridium Chat averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Session or Iridium Chat have ads?

Neither Session nor Iridium Chat shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Session or Iridium Chat?

Session ships an update fortnightly, and Iridium Chat every 6 months. Most recently, Session was updated on October 17, 2026 and Iridium Chat on October 8, 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.*