# BuyNothing vs Waterfall AR

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Waterfall AR at 100% against BuyNothing's 27%. Waterfall AR also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 8). BuyNothing's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (2.1K vs 8). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. BuyNothing sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Waterfall AR asks for nothing beyond the download.

Waterfall AR holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BuyNothing has 2.1K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of BuyNothing's written reviews are positive against 100% of Waterfall AR's.

BuyNothing ships an update every 2 weeks, Waterfall AR every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BuyNothing | Waterfall AR |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (2.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buynothing/id1557679959/reviews) | **[5.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waterfall-ar/id1586260109/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.1K** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | 26.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#198** | — |
| Size | 76 MB | 373 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Buy Nothing Project, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1557679961) | [Untethered IO, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1586260111) |

## What reviewers say

### BuyNothing

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buynothing/id1557679959)

**Currently charting:** #198 Top Free · Social Networking (US App Store)

Connect with your local community to give, receive, share, lend, and borrow items. This app fosters a gift economy, building connections through sharing, inspired by the BuyNothing® Project.

**Highlights:** Give and receive items locally, Lend and borrow goods, Hyper-local community sharing, Gift economy model, Build community connections, Express gratitude

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy Nothing Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| Buy Nothing Pro | $3.99 | per month |
| Sustaining Member | $5.49 | per month |
| Sustaining Member | $6.99 | per month |
| Buy Nothing Pro | $38.49 | per year |
| Buy Nothing Subscription | $38.49 | per year |
| Sustaining Member | $54.99 | per year |
| Sustaining Member | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤝 Friendly community interactions
- ♻️ Promotes sustainability and reducing waste
- 🌍 Global reach beyond local groups
- 🏠 Hyper-local focus when set up properly
- 📦 Smooth gifting and receiving process

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable app functionality
- 📍 Difficulty filtering for local posts
- 🔑 Login and account issues
- 💬 Inconsistent notifications and messaging
- 💰 Paywall for key features

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Login issues and inability to reset passwords
- Inconsistent location settings and radius
- Unreliable notifications and messaging
- Inability to edit or update posts

**Requested features**

- Search function to find specific posts
- Ability to edit and update posts
- Improved organization and sorting of posts
- Syncing across multiple devices
- More robust moderation and community tools


### Waterfall AR

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waterfall-ar/id1586260109)

Create and place 3D art in the real world for others to discover and experience. Explore creations nearby or randomly from users worldwide. Leave your unique mark on the physical environment.

**Highlights:** Create 3D art attached to the physical world, Discover nearby AR creations, Explore random AR drops globally, Leave your mark with unique creations

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BuyNothing free?

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

### Is Waterfall AR free?

Waterfall AR is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, BuyNothing or Waterfall AR?

Waterfall AR is rated higher. BuyNothing averages 4.3 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while Waterfall AR averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.

### Do BuyNothing or Waterfall AR have ads?

Neither BuyNothing nor Waterfall AR shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BuyNothing or Waterfall AR?

BuyNothing ships an update every 2 weeks, and Waterfall AR every 2 months. Most recently, BuyNothing was updated on November 3, 2026 and Waterfall AR on October 24, 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.*