Comparison

Session vs DonutChat

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

Head to head
About

Session

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
Read full description

Session is a new breed of private messenger, built on a unique network of user-operated servers spread all over the world. With no central servers, Session can’t leak or sell your data. And with Session’s private routing protocols, your messages are completely safe. No trackers, no leaks — send messages, not metadata. • Fully private account creation: No phone number or email needed to create an Account ID • Decentralized server network: No data breaches, no central point of failure • No metadata logging: Session doesn't store, track, or log your messaging metadata • IP address protection: Device IP addresses are never exposed to the person you're talking to or the servers holding your data • Closed groups: Private, end-to-end encrypted group chats for up to 100 people • Secure attachments: Share voice snippets, photos, and files with Session's secure encryption and privacy protections • Free and open-source: Don’t take our word for it — check Session's code yourself Session is free as in free speech and free as in free of ads and trackers. It is stewarded by the Session Foundation, a Swiss-based foundation dedicated to advancing digital rights and innovation. Take back your online privacy today — download Session. Want to build from source, report a bug, or just take a look at our code? Check out Session on GitHub: https://github.com/session-foundation/session-ios Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Session Terms of Service: https://getsession.org/terms-of-service

About

DonutChat

Features
Read full description

DonutChat is a productivity-first chat for the people who matter most — your partner, family, close friends, or a small team. Stop losing plans, decisions, and follow-ups in an endless scroll. Make every conversation actually move things forward. Built for Real Relationships, Not Networks DonutChat isn't another social app or work tool. It's the chat you open with the handful of people you actually share a life or a project with — and it's designed so those conversations turn into outcomes, not noise. Threaded Conversations That Stay on Track Reply in a thread to keep one topic from burying another. The grocery run, the trip plan, and the dinner debate can all live side-by-side without colliding. Decide Together with Polls Where to eat. Which weekend works. Who's bringing what. Run a quick poll and watch the answer surface in seconds — no more "wait, did we decide?" AI That Catches What You'd Miss DonutChat reads the room and surfaces action items, decisions, and follow-ups so nothing falls through the cracks. Skim a long thread, get a summary, see what was agreed. Pin What Matters Pin the address, the Wi-Fi password, the shared list, the upcoming plan. Important things stay reachable instead of getting buried under "okay" and "lol". Reactions Without the Noise React with an emoji when a message just needs an acknowledgement — keep the thread tight and the signal strong. Share Anything, Find It Later Photos, videos, documents, links — share them fast over a global CDN, and let DonutChat keep them organized inside the conversation they belong to. Multi-Language Available in English, Korean, Japanese, French, and Spanish, with full interface localization. Private by Default Your relationships aren't a product. DonutChat encrypts data in transit, supports Google and Apple Sign-In, and gives you full control over your data — privacy is the floor, not the pitch. Key Features - Direct and group messaging - Threads and replies - Polls and voting - AI summaries and action-item extraction - Pinned messages - Emoji reactions - File and media sharing - Push notifications - Read receipts and typing indicators - @mentions - Webhooks and RSS feeds - Dark mode DonutChat — chat that gets things done with the people you love.

Screenshots

Session4 screens
DonutChat4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: DonutChat at none against Session's 3. DonutChat also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). Session's advantage is chart position (#105 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads 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. Session sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.49 per month. DonutChat asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Session ships an update fortnightly, DonutChat every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Session versus DonutChat: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSessionDonutChat
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (5.3K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews61.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings5.3K — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
Best chart rank#105 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size92 MB64 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperThe Loki ProjectKyuhyun Byun

Bugs and requests

Session

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

DonutChat

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Session

Subscriptions3
  • Session Pro$4.491 Month
  • Session Pro$11.993 Months
  • Session Pro$35.991 Year
None

DonutChat

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Session free?
Session is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DonutChat free?
DonutChat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Session or DonutChat have ads?
Neither Session nor DonutChat shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Session or DonutChat?
Session ships an update fortnightly, and DonutChat every 2 days. Most recently, Session was updated on October 29, 2026 and DonutChat on October 28, 2026.

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