# BuyNothing vs JoinIf

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 (#145 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | BuyNothing | JoinIf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (2.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buynothing/id1557679959/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/joinif/id6766712128/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.1K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 26.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#145** | — |
| Size | 75 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Buy Nothing Project, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1557679961) | [Neil Shroff](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896317718) |

## What reviewers say

### BuyNothing

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

**Currently charting:** #145 Top Free · Social Networking (US App Store)

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:** 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


### JoinIf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/joinif/id6766712128)

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:** 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 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.

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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.*