ICS Mobile vs Pay Tel
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ICS Mobile
Connect with incarcerated loved ones through video visits from any location with internet access. Maintain strong family bonds by sharing special moments remotely.
- Remote video visits
- Visit from home
- Maintain family bonds
- Share special moments
- WiFi/cellular data compatible
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The ICSolutions mobile app provides an easy and convenient way to visit with your incarcerated family member and loved one. With this free mobile app, you can visit from home or anywhere where you have WiFi or cellular data service. Staying connected to your loved one allows you to share special moments and maintain those strong family bonds between children and their parents.
Pay Tel
Stay connected with loved ones. Receive instant alerts for messages and notifications. Easily view your balance and add funds, or send photos to inmates in eligible correctional facilities.
- Instant message alerts
- Unread message count
- Current balance visibility
- Add funds link
- Send photos to inmates
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The Pay Tel app provides you with easy access to important functionality: Instant alerts for any notifications from Pay Tel™ or your inteleMESSAGE™ contacts. Current unread messages count indicator. Just press to open inteleMESSAGE™. Visibility to your current balance, and a link to the main PayTel.com site for Adding Funds. Send photos to inmates in eligible facilities.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Pay Tel at 1.7 against ICS Mobile's 1.4. ICS Mobile's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 140). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Pay Tel holds the better App Store score, 1.7 against 1.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ICS Mobile has 1.2K ratings behind it against 140, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 4% of ICS Mobile's written reviews are positive against 6% of Pay Tel's.
ICS Mobile ships an update every 3 weeks, Pay Tel every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ICS Mobile | Pay Tel |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.4 (1.2K ratings) | 1.7 (140 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 3.6% of reviews | 6.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.2K — better | 140 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #166 — better | #199 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.4 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Inmate Calling Solutions LLC | Pay Tel Communications |
Customer experience
ICS Mobile
Pay Tel
User reviews
ICS Mobile
From 1.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Works well
- 🔒 Turn off dark mode
- 🔒 Turn on do not disturb
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes
- 🐛 Freezes during visits
- 🐛 Disconnects during visits
- 🐛 Login issues
- 🐛 Poor audio/video quality
Pay Tel
From 140 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📱 Enables communication with incarcerated loved ones
- 📹 Video calling functionality available
- 💬 Messaging feature when working properly
- ✅ App works smoothly after recent updates (per some users)
- 🎯 Easy to add funds/make payments
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- ❌ Messages fail to send or display
- 🔌 Constant login errors and authentication failures
- ⏱️ Extremely slow loading times
- 🔄 App randomly logs users out mid-session
Bugs and requests
ICS Mobile
Reported bugs
3 issues- App doesn't work on iPhones/iPads
- Connection issues despite good internet
- Visits get cancelled unexpectedly
Requested features
3 requests- Update the app
- Improve customer service
- Provide refunds for failed visits
Pay Tel
Reported bugs
21 issues- App crashes on launch or during use
- Login authentication errors persist across sessions
- Messages fail to send despite payment being deducted
- Messages don't appear in inbox despite being sent
- App logs out randomly while actively in use
Show 16 moreShow fewer
- Typing causes screen to flicker and delete message content
- Blank white screens when trying to view messages
- App won't work when Wi-Fi is enabled (Error 403)
- Incorrect notification counts
- Balance doesn't update after adding funds
- Video call invitations don't pop up or display
- Call connections drop mid-conversation
- Echo/feedback during calls
- Calls ring once then hang up immediately
- Account lockout with 'phone number doesn't belong to account' error
- PIN number errors preventing login
- App won't open on certain devices (iPhone specific issues)
- Messages appear days late
- Duplicate messages being sent and charged
- App freezes when typing long messages
- Website login doesn't sync with app login
Requested features
12 requests- Improved app stability and performance optimization
- Better customer service responsiveness (live chat, phone support)
- Reduced pricing for calls and messages
- Same-day video visit scheduling
- Better message persistence (don't delete on app exit)
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Improved call quality and connection stability
- Wi-Fi compatibility fix
- Better user interface design and navigation
- Automatic message saving/drafts
- Transaction history visibility
- Refund policy for failed transactions
- Faster fund processing and balance updates
In-app purchases
ICS Mobile
No in-app purchases
Pay Tel
No in-app purchases
