Making Authentic Friendships vs Special Bridge
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Making Authentic Friendships
This social network connects individuals with special needs and their families. It provides a safe and supportive space for users to build meaningful connections and find community.
- Connect with special needs individuals
- Connect with loved ones
- Build meaningful connections
- Find community
- Supportive environment
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Social network for special needs individuals and their loved ones.
Special Bridge
A safe and respectful social community for adults with disabilities to build connections, find friendship, or explore dating. It offers tools to meet others at your own pace in a supportive environment with moderated, ad-free interactions.
- Build meaningful connections
- Friendship or dating options
- Quick Connect swipe feature
- Join interest-based groups
- Customizable preferences
- Moderated, ad-free experience
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Special Bridge is a welcoming social community designed for adults with disabilities to build meaningful connections — whether that means friendship, dating, or simply feeling less alone. We believe connection should feel safe, respectful, and pressure-free. Special Bridge gives you the tools to meet others at your own pace in a supportive environment built around real people and real interactions. What you can do on Special Bridge: • Browse member profiles and discover people with shared interests • Connect through friendship or dating — you choose what you’re looking for • Use Quick Connect, a swipe-style feature to discover new members easily • Send friend requests and messages with subscribed access • Join interest-based groups and take part in community discussions • Customize your preferences so matches feel more relevant • Enjoy a moderated, ad-free experience focused on safety and authenticity Special Bridge offers a free preview to explore the community, with optional memberships available for full access to messaging, groups, and more. Whether you’re here to meet new friends, explore dating, or just see what the community has to offer, you’re always welcome at Special Bridge. Terms of Service: https://www.specialbridge.com/terms/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Special Bridge at free against Making Authentic Friendships's free with in-app purchases. Making Authentic Friendships's advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (68 vs 10). On price, rating, review sentiment 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
Both are free to download. Making Authentic Friendships sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Special Bridge sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Making Authentic Friendships holds the better App Store score, 2.9 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Making Authentic Friendships has 68 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 34% and 33% positive.
Making Authentic Friendships ships an update every 4 weeks, Special Bridge every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | Making Authentic Friendships | Special Bridge |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.9 (68 ratings) — better | 2.7 (10 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 34.1% of reviews — better | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 68 — better | 10 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 56 MB | 86 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Juliana Fetherman | Special Bridge LLc |
Customer experience
Making Authentic Friendships
Special Bridge
Bugs and requests
Making Authentic Friendships
Reported bugs
16 issues- App takes a long time to load
- App is slow and buggy
- App freezes after login
- Cannot exit subscription screen
- Charged after canceling free trial
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- App is stuck on subscription page
- Login issues (user/pass not working)
- Cannot upload a picture (custom avatar issue)
- Age displayed incorrectly in profiles
- Friend suggestions not loading
- Cannot select interests/activities
- Keyboard overlays sign-in button
- Buttons are inactive or stuck
- No tech support or contact information available
- App doesn't work or is not active
- Error message about already having an account
Requested features
6 requests- Allow users to set age filters
- Improve friend suggestion intelligence
- Add more descriptors for cognitive abilities/challenges
- Offer a version for younger teens (11-16)
- Expand filters for interests and locations
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Make the app free or significantly cheaper
Special Bridge
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Making Authentic Friendships
- 1 Month Member Subscription$4.991 Month
- 1 Year Member Subscription$39.991 Year
- 10 Coins$4.99
- 20 Coins$9.99
- 50 Coins$19.99
Special Bridge
- Special Bridge Monthly1 Month trial$9.001 Month
- Special Bridge Yearly$89.001 Year
Questions
Is Making Authentic Friendships free?
Is Special Bridge free?
Which has better reviews, Making Authentic Friendships or Special Bridge?
Do Making Authentic Friendships or Special Bridge have ads?
Which is updated more often, Making Authentic Friendships or Special Bridge?
Other comparisons
