Comparison

BuyNothing vs JoinIf

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

JoinIf

Share your casual plans with friends and let them join if they're available. Organize contacts into circles and share plans with specific groups. Avoid group chats and awkward declines with a low-pressure way to connect.

Highlights
  • Soft plan sharing
  • Organize friends into circles
  • Share plans with specific groups
  • Indicate plus-ones or companions
  • Calendar integration
  • No group chats or awkward declines
Features
Read full description

JoinIf is for people who want to share what they're doing without the pressure of traditional plans. Post a soft plan — coffee, a walk, a round of golf — and let the right friends know. They can join if it works for them. No response needed if it doesn't. No group chats. No awkward declines. No waiting to see if enough people commit. CIRCLES Organize friends into circles like Close Friends, Workout, Golf, or Neighbors. Share each plan with just the right people. SOFT PLANS You're going anyway. You're just letting people know. Join if it fits. MY CREW Let friends know if it's just you, or if you're bringing your spouse, kids, or a +1. CALENDAR Check for conflicts and add plans directly to your calendar. JoinIf is for real plans with real people. No algorithms, no feeds, no noise.

Screenshots

BuyNothing4 screens
JoinIf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: JoinIf at 100% against BuyNothing's 27%. JoinIf also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 8). BuyNothing's advantage is ratings volume (2.1K vs 4) and chart position (#155 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

JoinIf holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BuyNothing has 2.1K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of BuyNothing's written reviews are positive against 100% of JoinIf's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BuyNothing ships an update fortnightly, JoinIf every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
BuyNothing versus JoinIf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuyNothingJoinIf
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (2.1K ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews26.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.1K — better4
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#155 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size75 MB26 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperBuy Nothing Project, Inc.Neil Shroff

Customer experience

BuyNothing

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

JoinIf

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
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

JoinIf

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

JoinIf

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BuyNothing free?
BuyNothing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is JoinIf free?
JoinIf is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BuyNothing or JoinIf?
JoinIf is rated higher. BuyNothing averages 4.3 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while JoinIf averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do BuyNothing or JoinIf have ads?
Neither BuyNothing nor JoinIf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BuyNothing or JoinIf?
BuyNothing ships an update fortnightly, and JoinIf every 3 weeks. Most recently, BuyNothing was updated on November 7, 2026 and JoinIf on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons