Stereo vs LinkUp in iMessage
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Stereo
This social app allows users to share and discover voice notes, engage in live conversations, and connect with others through messaging. It also offers in-app games and avatar customization to enhance social interaction.
- Viral voice notes
- Spontaneous conversations
- Live talks
- In-app messaging
- Play games
- Customizable avatars
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Stereo is the social app where people speak up – literally. Download Stereo and come find: Viral voice notes, spontaneous conversations and your community. SPEAK UP Reply to posts or share your own topic and hear what others have to say. TALK LIVE Looking for live conversation? Start or join a Talk with friends. New here? We’ll find you people to talk to. MESSAGE Keep up with people 1:1 or in a group after a Talk has ended or share your favorite Soundbites by sending messages in-app. PLAY GAMES Break the ice by playing Mafia, Who Am I? and Buzzword Buddies. CUSTOMIZE Design your Stereo avatar your way, with customizable features like your hairstyle, nose, eyes, facial hair, accessories and more. Change up your vibe at any time and keep an eye out for new looks. Still reading? Why? Download Stereo and come find out what we're talking about. By using Stereo, you’re agreeing to our Terms of Service (https://stereo.com/terms) and any policies referenced therein.
LinkUp in iMessage
This app simplifies group scheduling by transforming availability into a live heatmap within iMessage. Friends can easily vote on dates, and the app visually highlights the best times for meetups, eliminating endless message chains.
- Live heatmap availability visualization
- Interactive calendar voting
- Real-time overlap highlighting
- Seamless iMessage integration
- Multiple visualization modes (Calendar, Range, Focused Day)
- Designed for casual group planning
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LinkUp turns group availability into a live heatmap directly inside iMessage. Instead of endless back-and-forth messages, friends can tap an interactive calendar and instantly visualize which dates work best for the group. As people vote, LinkUp highlights overlapping availability in real time — making it easy to spot the best meetup dates at a glance. HOW IT WORKS * Open LinkUp from the iMessage app drawer * Select days, ranges, or full calendar windows * Send the interactive poll into your group chat * Friends vote directly from the message bubble * Watch availability transform into a dynamic group heatmap DESIGNED FOR GROUP PLANNING LinkUp is built for the way people make plans — casually, visually, and inside the conversation itself. organizing trips, dinners, study sessions, team meetings, game nights, group projects, or work events, LinkUp helps everyone quickly visualize the best times together without endless back-and-forth messages. MULTIPLE VISUALIZATION MODES * Calendar — visualize availability across an entire month * Range — compare broader availability windows * Focused Day Selection — narrow down exact meetup dates and times
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: LinkUp in iMessage at 100% against Stereo's 46%. LinkUp in iMessage also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 11 days). Stereo's advantage is ratings volume (10K vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
LinkUp in iMessage holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stereo has 10K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Stereo's written reviews are positive against 100% of LinkUp in iMessage's.
Stereo ships an update every 11 days, LinkUp in iMessage every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Stereo | LinkUp in iMessage |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (10K ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 45.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 10K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 163 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Stereo App Ltd | PRANAV DIWAKAR THOPPE |
Customer experience
Stereo
LinkUp in iMessage
Bugs and requests
Stereo
Reported bugs
5 issues- Accounts being banned for unclear reasons
- Audio issues like echoes and cutting out
- Inconsistent age verification and restrictions
- Inability to sign up or log in properly
- Recorded messages disappearing unexpectedly
Requested features
5 requests- Add pause and rewind functionality
- Improve content discovery and browsing
- Implement better moderation and safety controls
- Allow users to customize their avatars
- Provide more options for monetization and rewards
LinkUp in iMessage
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Stereo
No in-app purchases
LinkUp in iMessage
No in-app purchases
