# Royal Message vs SO

The clearest difference is ads: SO at none against Royal Message's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Royal Message sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.29 per month and SO sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Royal Message | SO |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/royal-message/id1495292160/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Size | 250 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Themis Lois](https://appshunter.io/developer/1495292159) | [datingskr](https://appshunter.io/developer/1542819208) |

## What reviewers say

### Royal Message

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/royal-message/id1495292160)

A modern messaging app for fast, simple, and private communication without requiring a phone number or email. It offers real-time chats, group messaging, and customizable features with encrypted data transmission.

**Highlights:** No phone number or email registration, Real-time messaging, Group chats up to 1024 members, Encrypted data transmission, Customizable chat backgrounds and bubble colors, Optional screenshot protection

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Royal Message Monthly | $0.29 | per month |
| Royal Message Yearly | $3.99 | per year |
| Delete chat +1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Advertising free | $1.99 | one-time |
| Royal Silver | $3.99 | one-time |
| Royal Gold | $89.99 | one-time |


### SO

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/so-x/id6753130260)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 月訂 | $14.99 | per month |
| 季訂 | $37.99 | per 3 months |
| 年訂 | $124.99 | per year |
| 100 Diamonds | $0.99 | one-time |
| 331 Diamonds | $1.09 | one-time |
| 1685 Diamonds | $5.49 | one-time |
| 1000 Diamonds | $9.99 | one-time |
| 3333 Diamonds | $10.49 | one-time |
| 9388 Diamonds | $29.99 | one-time |
| 15050 Diamonds | $47.99 | one-time |
| 32800 Diamonds | $104.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Royal Message free?

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

### Is SO free?

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

### Do Royal Message or SO have ads?

Royal Message shows ads; SO does not.

### Which is updated more often, Royal Message or SO?

Royal Message ships an update weekly, and SO weekly. Most recently, Royal Message was updated on October 24, 2026 and SO on October 7, 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.*