# BuyNothing vs NXSTEP

The clearest difference is review sentiment: NXSTEP at 100% against BuyNothing's 27%. NXSTEP also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 8). BuyNothing's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (2.1K vs 7). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

NXSTEP 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 7, 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 NXSTEP's.

BuyNothing ships an update every 2 weeks, NXSTEP every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BuyNothing | NXSTEP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (2.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buynothing/id1557679959/reviews) | **[5.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nxstep/id1598372133/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.1K** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 26.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#188** | — |
| Size | 76 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Buy Nothing Project, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1557679961) | [Cassy Technology Company](https://appshunter.io/developer/1776380883) |

## What reviewers say

### BuyNothing

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

**Currently charting:** #188 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


### NXSTEP

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nxstep/id1598372133)

This platform helps college applicants and students explore universities and freelance opportunities. Discover and learn about your next steps in higher education or career paths.

**Highlights:** University exploration, Freelance opportunity discovery, Learning resources, Web app access, College applicant support, Student career guidance

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BuyNothing free?

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

### Is NXSTEP free?

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

### Which has better reviews, BuyNothing or NXSTEP?

NXSTEP is rated higher. BuyNothing averages 4.3 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while NXSTEP averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.

### Do BuyNothing or NXSTEP have ads?

NXSTEP shows ads; BuyNothing does not.

### Which is updated more often, BuyNothing or NXSTEP?

BuyNothing ships an update every 2 weeks, and NXSTEP every 5 days. Most recently, BuyNothing was updated on October 25, 2026 and NXSTEP on October 6, 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.*