# BuyNothing vs ABA Community

The clearest difference is rating: BuyNothing at 4.3 against ABA Community's 3.4. BuyNothing also leads on ratings volume (2.1K vs 9) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). ABA Community's advantage is review sentiment (63% vs 27%) and in-app purchases (none vs 8). On price, ads, 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. ABA Community asks for nothing beyond the download.

BuyNothing holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BuyNothing has 2.1K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 27% of BuyNothing's written reviews are positive against 63% of ABA Community's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

BuyNothing ships an update fortnightly, ABA Community every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BuyNothing | ABA Community |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (2.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buynothing/id1557679959/reviews)** | [3.4 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aba-community/id1639941896/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.1K** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | 26.9% of reviews | **62.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#160** | — |
| Size | 75 MB | 94 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Buy Nothing Project, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1557679961) | [AMERICAN BIRDING ASSOCIATION, INC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1639941898) |

## What reviewers say

### BuyNothing

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

**Currently charting:** #160 Top Free · Social Networking (US App Store)

Connect with your local community to share, lend, and borrow items. Foster a gift economy based on mutual support and gratitude, building connections through giving.

**Highlights:** Hyper-local community sharing, Gift economy model, Lend and borrow items, Express gratitude, Build community connections, Global reach

**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


### ABA Community

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aba-community/id1639941896)

Connect with fellow bird enthusiasts in a dedicated online community. Engage in themed groups, participate in forums, and get expert advice on bird identification, gear, and travel. Access exclusive opportunities as an ABA member.

**Highlights:** Connect with fellow birders, Engage in themed groups, Participate in forums, Get birding advice, Access exclusive opportunities

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BuyNothing free?

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

### Is ABA Community free?

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

### Which has better reviews, BuyNothing or ABA Community?

BuyNothing is rated higher. BuyNothing averages 4.3 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while ABA Community averages 3.4 from 9 ratings.

### Do BuyNothing or ABA Community have ads?

Neither BuyNothing nor ABA Community shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BuyNothing or ABA Community?

BuyNothing ships an update fortnightly, and ABA Community every 2 months. Most recently, BuyNothing was updated on November 7, 2026 and ABA Community on November 3, 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.*