Comparison

Yik Yak vs Lately.

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

Head to head
About

Yik Yak

Connect with local communities anonymously. Share thoughts, jokes, and memes while engaging in direct messages. Experience authentic self-expression in a space free from personal identification.

Highlights
  • Anonymous posting and commenting
  • Direct messaging
  • Meme and joke creation
  • Local community connection
  • Authentic self-expression
Features
Read full description

Yik Yak is the best way to connect with the communities that matter to you most. Create memes, post jokes, share thoughts, slide into DMs, and more. All posts, comments, and messages are anonymous, so feel free to be your most authentic. Terms of Service: https://www.yikyak.com/terms

About

Lately.

Features
Read full description

Lately is the social app for your 20 closest friends. Most social media shows you the highlight reel: the vacation photos, the promotions, the wins. Lately shows you the real week. The messy Tuesday. The hard conversation with a parent. The small win nobody else would think to celebrate. The thing you're actually worried about. Once a week, you share what's really going on, not what looks good, what's true. Then you open one calm, chronological feed and catch up with the people who matter most: their ups, their downs, and everything in between. WHY ONLY 20 FRIENDS You can't be honest with 500 followers. You can be honest with 20 close friends. That's the whole idea behind Lately's cap: a circle small enough that people actually feel safe sharing the real stuff, not just the polished version of their life. No public follower counts, viral content, or algorithm deciding what you see. No performing for an audience. Just your people telling the truth about their week. WHAT YOU'LL ACTUALLY KNOW With Lately, you're not left guessing how a friend is really doing. You'll know when they're struggling, not just when they're celebrating. You'll know about the hard season before it becomes a crisis or about the good news before it's old news. You'll get context that helps you actually show up for the people you love. Reactions are private, quick, and meant for exactly one purpose of letting a friend know you're by their side. HOW IT WORKS Each week you share what your week actually looked like through real highlights, honest lows, reflections, favorites, or just a simple check-in. Then catch up on your closest friends' weeks in one feed, built to feel less like scrolling and more like sitting down with someone you haven't seen in a while and asking, "No really, how are you?". Lately is the social app for your 20 closest friends, built for honesty, not highlight reels.

Screenshots

Yik Yak4 screens
Lately.4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lately. at none against Yik Yak's 3. Lately. also leads on ads (none vs shown). Yik Yak's advantage is chart position (#36 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, 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. Yik Yak sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Lately. asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Yik Yak versus Lately.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterYik YakLately.
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (52K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews24.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings52K — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#36 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size196 MB27 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperYik Yak, Inc.Maret Moran

Bugs and requests

Yik Yak

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to delete own posts
  • Inconsistent application of content filters
  • Notifications not linking to correct posts

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to mute or filter specific keywords or users
  • Improved notification system and post history tracking
  • Expansion of location radius beyond college campuses
  • Addition of user profiles and photo/link sharing

Lately.

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Yik Yak

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Monthly (Early Bird)$4.991 Month
  • Monthly$6.991 Month
None

Lately.

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Yik Yak free?
Yik Yak is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lately. free?
Lately. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Yik Yak or Lately. have ads?
Yik Yak shows ads; Lately. does not.
Which is updated more often, Yik Yak or Lately.?
Yik Yak ships an update weekly, and Lately. weekly. Most recently, Yik Yak was updated on November 3, 2026 and Lately. on October 29, 2026.

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