BuyNothing vs ERC Pathlight
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BuyNothing
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.
- Give and receive items locally
- Lend and borrow goods
- Hyper-local community sharing
- Gift economy model
- Build community connections
- Express gratitude
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We offer people a way to give, receive, share, lend, borrow and express gratitude through a hyper-local gift economy model in which people can share wherever they are and true wealth is measured by the web of connections formed between people through sharing. From the founders of the BuyNothing® Project. Terms of Use: https://buynothingproject.org/terms
ERC Pathlight
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The Beacon serves as the guiding light for Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight, helping you feel inspired, connected, and informed. Here, you'll find our latest news, upcoming events, inspiring videos, photos, feel-good stories, resources, company info, and much more. Our app is fast and friendly and puts everything you need in the palm of your hand. Looking to connect and engage with us? The Beacon is the place for you. Join us by downloading the app today - we can't wait to meet you!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ERC Pathlight at none against BuyNothing's 8. BuyNothing's advantage is chart position (#195 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, 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. BuyNothing sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. ERC Pathlight asks for nothing beyond the download.
BuyNothing ships an update every 8 days, ERC Pathlight fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BuyNothing | ERC Pathlight |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (2.1K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 26.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2.1K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | #195 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 76 MB | 83 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Buy Nothing Project, Inc. | Eating Recovery Center, LLC |
Bugs and requests
BuyNothing
Reported bugs
5 issues- 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
5 requests- 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
ERC Pathlight
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BuyNothing
- Buy Nothing Subscription$3.991 Month
- Buy Nothing Pro$3.991 Month
- Sustaining Member$5.491 Month
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- Sustaining Member$6.991 Month
- Buy Nothing Pro$38.491 Year
- Buy Nothing Subscription$38.491 Year
- Sustaining Member$54.991 Year
- Sustaining Member$69.991 Year
ERC Pathlight
No in-app purchases
