# BuyNothing vs UW_Connect

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 (#182 vs unranked). 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. UW_Connect asks for nothing beyond the download.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | BuyNothing | UW_Connect |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (2.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buynothing/id1557679959/reviews) | **[4.7 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uw-connect/id6479171578/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.1K** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | 26.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#182** | — |
| Size | 75 MB | 130 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Buy Nothing Project, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1557679961) | [United Way Worldwide](https://appshunter.io/developer/1349800482) |

## What reviewers say

### BuyNothing

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

**Currently charting:** #182 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


### UW_Connect

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uw-connect/id6479171578)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*