Making Authentic Friendships vs Autistic Empathy
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.
Autistic Empathy
This app connects individuals aged 18+ who identify as autistic or Asperger's with like-minded people for dating or friendship. It aims to provide a more understanding and direct approach to forming connections, bypassing the complexities of mainstream social apps. Managed by autism specialists, it offers support and advice for members.
- Dating and friendship connections
- For autistic and Asperger's individuals
- Direct communication style
- Managed by autism specialists
- Helpline support
- Dating and friendship advice
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A dating and/or friendship app for 18+ individuals who identify as having Asperger's syndrome/Autism and who are seeking the companionship of like-minded individuals who can provide the empathic understanding they are seeking and which they deserve. Apps for all neuro-types are not discerning enough for Asperger's/Autistic individuals, and the potential for harm to the Aspergic/Autistic individual is enormous. Literal, black and white thinking, which is part of the Asperger's/Autistic mindset, while it can be a benefit in certain areas of life and living, it can be problematic in relationships if not empathically understood by the person with whom you wish to be close to. Finding someone who thinks in a similar way to how you think at first encounter, this app provides a shortcut through the social dance that the more mainstream dating/friendship apps engender. This app is managed by qualified autism-specialist counsellors, who will be on hand with bespoke advices, if, for whatever reason, a difficulty is encountered via a helpline. Autistic Empathy also provides generic advices reference dating and friendship for all members to access.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Autistic Empathy at 4.1 against Making Authentic Friendships's 2.9. Autistic Empathy also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5). Making Authentic Friendships's advantage is review sentiment (34% vs 6%) and update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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. Autistic Empathy asks for nothing beyond the download.
Autistic Empathy holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 68 and 48 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 34% of Making Authentic Friendships's written reviews are positive against 6% of Autistic Empathy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Making Authentic Friendships ships an update every 4 weeks, Autistic Empathy every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | Making Authentic Friendships | Autistic Empathy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.9 (68 ratings) | 4.1 (48 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 34.1% of reviews — better | 6.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 68 — better | 48 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 56 MB | 78 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Juliana Fetherman | Action for Neurodiversity |
Customer experience
Making Authentic Friendships
Autistic Empathy
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
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- Make the app free or significantly cheaper
Autistic Empathy
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
Autistic Empathy
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Making Authentic Friendships free?
Is Autistic Empathy free?
Which has better reviews, Making Authentic Friendships or Autistic Empathy?
Do Making Authentic Friendships or Autistic Empathy have ads?
Which is updated more often, Making Authentic Friendships or Autistic Empathy?
Other comparisons
