Comparison

BuyNothing vs BTF Union

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 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
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

BTF Union

Features
Read full description

Welcome to the official Communication App for the Buffalo Teachers Federation! Get to know our members old and new, discuss with each other in groups or privately, learn about our upcoming events and stay updated with our latest news.

Screenshots

BuyNothing4 screens
BTF Union3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BTF Union at none against BuyNothing's 8. BuyNothing's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months) and chart position (#167 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. BTF Union asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BuyNothing ships an update fortnightly, BTF Union every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
BuyNothing versus BTF Union: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuyNothingBTF Union
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (2.1K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews26.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.1K — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#167 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size75 MB33 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperBuy Nothing Project, Inc.Buffalo Teachers Federation Inc

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

BTF Union

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

BTF Union

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BuyNothing free?
BuyNothing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BTF Union free?
BTF Union is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do BuyNothing or BTF Union have ads?
Neither BuyNothing nor BTF Union shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BuyNothing or BTF Union?
BuyNothing ships an update fortnightly, and BTF Union every 5 months. Most recently, BuyNothing was updated on November 11, 2026 and BTF Union on November 8, 2026.

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