Comparison

BuyNothing vs UW_Connect

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Give and receive items locally
  • Lend and borrow goods
  • Hyper-local community sharing
  • Gift economy model
  • Build community connections
  • Express gratitude
Features
Read full description

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

About

UW_Connect

This private community app connects United Way staff, volunteers, and colleagues for professional development. Engage in learning experiences, build networks, and share best practices to strengthen communities and improve lives.

Highlights
  • Private community for United Way staff and volunteers
  • Professional development experiences
  • Next-Generation Leaders Initiative participation
  • Thrive Hives cohort engagement
  • Build learning networks
  • Share best practices and innovations
Features
Read full description

UW Connect is a private community of United Way staff, volunteers, and invited colleagues, who engage in stimulating professional development experiences. United Way mobilizes communities around the world to action so all can thrive. True to our founding spirit, whenever there is a need in our communities, United Way is there. We bring a comprehensive approach to every challenge, actively listening and responding to local needs. Our reach across tens of thousands of communities means we can share innovations and scale impact to improve lives around the world. On UW Connect, United Way leaders at all levels participate in rich, collaborative learning experiences to enhance their skills, knowledge, and confidence. These experiences include: + United Way Worldwide’s Next-Generation Leaders Initiative (Next-Gen), a dynamic two-year program for early career, high-potential United Way leaders. + Thrive Hives, which are cohorts of United Ways aiming to elevate their performance on the Thriving United Way Maturity Model. Additionally, UW Connect members/learners build vibrant learning networks to share best practices and innovations, strengthening their United Ways and benefiting local communities.

Screenshots

BuyNothing4 screens
UW_Connect4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: UW_Connect at none against BuyNothing's 8. UW_Connect also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). BuyNothing's advantage is ratings volume (2.1K vs 11) and chart position (#176 vs unranked). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

UW_Connect holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BuyNothing has 2.1K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BuyNothing ships an update fortnightly, UW_Connect weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
BuyNothing versus UW_Connect: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuyNothingUW_Connect
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (2.1K ratings)4.7 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews26.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.1K — better11
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#176 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size75 MB130 MB
Age rating17+9+
DeveloperBuy Nothing Project, Inc.United Way Worldwide

Customer experience

BuyNothing

All ratings2,084 ratings
Positive80.2%
Neutral5.2%
Negative14.6%
Written reviews387 reviews
Positive26.9%
Neutral12.9%
Negative60.2%

UW_Connect

All ratings11 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral9.1%
Negative0.0%

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

UW_Connect

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

BuyNothing

Subscriptions8
  • Buy Nothing Subscription$3.991 Month
  • Buy Nothing Pro$3.991 Month
  • Sustaining Member$5.491 Month
Show 5 more
  • 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
None

UW_Connect

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BuyNothing free?
BuyNothing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is UW_Connect free?
UW_Connect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BuyNothing or UW_Connect?
UW_Connect is rated higher. BuyNothing averages 4.3 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while UW_Connect averages 4.7 from 11 ratings.
Do BuyNothing or UW_Connect have ads?
Neither BuyNothing nor UW_Connect shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BuyNothing or UW_Connect?
BuyNothing ships an update fortnightly, and UW_Connect weekly. Most recently, BuyNothing was updated on November 7, 2026 and UW_Connect on November 4, 2026.

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