Comparison

Vicinity vs Earshot

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

Head to head
About

Vicinity

Connect with people in your immediate vicinity through real-time chat and live multiplayer games. Discover local communities and engage in topic-based conversations, all tied to your physical location.

Highlights
  • Real-time proximity chat
  • Live multiplayer games
  • Location-based landmark rooms
  • Private messaging
  • Interest-based profiles
  • Apple Watch integration
  • In-app economy for extras
Features
Read full description

Vicinity is the spatial network: the digital third space where you chat in real time with everyone around you. Meet people nearby, make friends in your neighborhood, and play live games together — tied to where you are, not who you follow. No followers, no algorithms — just your local world, live. Third places — the coffee shop, the barbershop, the park bench — are where neighbors used to become friends, and they're quietly disappearing. Vicinity brings that sense of community back, right where you are: open the app and you're in the room with everyone nearby, across multiple topic channels. Send message requests, create group chats, or join landmark rooms at iconic locations worldwide — but only if you're physically there. The internet you walk through, not the one you scroll. Potential uses • Meet new people nearby • Organize meetups by topic • Chat with others at a sports game, bar, or concert • Coordinate a class study group • Get help from a neighbor • Invite others to a block party • Recommend shows, restaurants, or events to people nearby • Ask locals for tips when traveling • Coordinate group activities • Host a game night with people nearby — trivia, chess, poker, and more Core features • Vicinity chat: multiple topic channels for your radius • Live Games: host or join real-time multiplayer games with people nearby — trivia, chess, poker, blackjack, werewolf, mahjong, and more • Landmark rooms: audio and text chat at iconic locations worldwide — only if you're physically there • Private messaging: send message requests to anyone you meet in the chatroom • Interests: add up to 5 interest chips to your profile so people nearby know what you're into • Avatars: upload a photo or make one from any emoji or interest — free for everyone • Apple Watch: glance at the chat around you and switch channels right from your wrist • Premium: group chats, photos in DMs, voice & video calls, ad-free, and more Stars — the fun economy • Earn stars FREE by winning Live Games or inviting friends • Spend stars on fun extras: chat colors, profile borders, badges, hosting events, and promoting posts • Gift stars or cosmetics to friends right in your DMs — chat colors, borders, and badges they keep • Trophy badges: climb the ladder from Bronze to the ultra-rare Diamond — the ultimate status flex Dark Mode Vicinity supports both light and dark mode. Privacy and security All location-based rooms are fully moderated. Distance sharing is optional — you control what you share. Download Vicinity. Community restored. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Earshot

Instantly and anonymously connect with people nearby. Discover new individuals at events or on campus by simply opening the application and joining a local chat space. It's an easy way to meet others in your physical vicinity.

Highlights
  • Anonymous chat
  • Proximity-based communication
  • Instant connection
  • Location-based chat spaces
  • Meet new people nearby
Features
Read full description

Earshot allows you to instantly and anonymously chat with others around you! Just open the app and you can quickly join a space that allows you to chat with others at your physical location. Whether it is a sporting event or a college campus, Earshot will allow you meet new people around you quickly and easily. Just open the app and start chatting!

Screenshots

Vicinity4 screens
Earshot4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Earshot at none against Vicinity's 5. Earshot also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Vicinity's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (37 vs 1). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. Vicinity sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $10.99 per year. Earshot asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Earshot holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Vicinity has 37 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Vicinity ships an update every 4 days, Earshot every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Vicinity versus Earshot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVicinityEarshot
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (37 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings37 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 9 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size85 MB30 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperEsketit LLCZenith Software, LLC

Customer experience

Vicinity

All ratings37 ratings
Positive91.9%
Neutral2.7%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%

Earshot

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Vicinity

Subscriptions1
  • Subscription Features$10.991 Year
One-time4
  • 60 Star Tokens$0.99
  • Create Advertisement$1.99
  • 180 Star Tokens$2.99
Show 1 more
  • 600 Star Tokens$7.99
None

Earshot

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Vicinity free?
Vicinity is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Earshot free?
Earshot is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Vicinity or Earshot?
Earshot is rated higher. Vicinity averages 4.6 out of 5 from 37 ratings, while Earshot averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Vicinity or Earshot have ads?
Vicinity shows ads; Earshot does not.
Which is updated more often, Vicinity or Earshot?
Vicinity ships an update every 4 days, and Earshot every 9 months. Most recently, Vicinity was updated on October 29, 2026 and Earshot on October 19, 2026.

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