ampoo vs 5Channel Browser
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ampoo
Connect with gamers who share your playstyle and preferred games. Find teammates for any platform, join or create recruitments, and communicate via text or voice chat. Build your regular squad without needing real names or photos.
- Find players with shared games and playstyle
- Text and voice chat with friends
- Create or join instant game recruitments
- Join game-specific communities
- Anonymous profile options
- Supports over 1,100 games across platforms
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Find gaming friends who play like you. Before you send a "Let's play!", ampoo shows you what you have in common: the games, when and how you play, skill level, platform and whether you prefer text or voice chat. Once you're friends, text or voice chat to set a time, then jump into the game together. Tired of random teammates? Posted an LFG and nobody showed up? ampoo makes it easy to find a regular squad, with no real name or photo. WHAT YOU CAN DO Find: see why you'd get along People who play your games show up as cards: games in common, play times (Weekday evenings, Weekend evenings…), play style (Casual, Competitive, Beginners welcome), skill level, platform and chat style (Chat, Voice chat). Send a "Let's play!" or skip. Let's play!: both say it and you're friends When you both send one, you become friends. Nobody can message you privately until then. Recruitments: squad up right now Pick a game and start a recruitment for right now, or join one that still has open spots. Ranked, casual or co-op. Recruitments close automatically 24 hours after they start, so old ones never pile up. Communities: a place for each game Group chats around a game, for tips, news and planning the next session. Chats and calls: voice chat while you play You can call once you both give permission. Greeting suggestions make the first message easy. Home: your gaming lobby Friends, the Let's play! you received, recruitments for you and what's going on in your games, all on one screen. New players get a short "First steps" guide. OVER 1,100 GAMES Mobile, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, PC, Xbox and more. If your game is missing, tap "Request a game" in the app to ask for it (adding a game can take a while). Great for indie and niche games too. Examples: Apex Legends, Splatoon 3, Monster Hunter Wilds, VALORANT, Fortnite, Minecraft, Genshin Impact, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Street Fighter 6, Pokémon UNITE, Overwatch 2, Dead by Daylight, Call of Duty, Mario Kart, Identity V and more. Game and platform names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. ampoo is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of these games or their publishers. A JAPANESE COMMUNITY Most players are in Japan. The app itself works in English. Sign in with your mobile number. ANONYMOUS AND SAFE • No real name or face photo needed. Start with a nickname • Your phone number is used only to sign in and to prevent duplicate accounts. Nobody else ever sees it • No private messages until you're both friends • Calls only once you both give permission • Block or report from any profile or chat. Recruitments from people you block are hidden from your lists and notifications, and neither of you can join the other's recruitments or communities. They are never told • Reports are reviewed by our team (for chats, with the messages around them). Accounts that break the Terms of Service may be suspended • Hookups and sexual content are not allowed. ampoo is for finding people to play games with WHO IT'S FOR • You'd rather team up on voice chat than solo queue • You prefer casual over competitive, or you're just starting out • You're shy about making friends and want to start anonymously AMPOO PREMIUM (OPTIONAL) ampoo is free to use. With in-app points you can buy a 30-day plan. Plans don't renew automatically. • ampoo Premium (980 points): no ads, see every Let's play! you received with no limit (without Premium, only those from the last 24 hours), and see as many profiles as you like (without Premium, 10 a day, more if you watch an ad) • ampoo Premium+ (1,480 points): everything in Premium, and your profile is shown to others first Prices in points are shown on the purchase screen in the app. CONTACT https://ampoo.app/contact For ages 13 and up. If you are under 18, please use ampoo with a parent's or guardian's consent. Terms of Service: https://ampoo.app/legal/terms Privacy Policy: https://ampoo.app/legal/privacy (These pages are in Japanese.)
5Channel Browser
A dedicated browser for comfortably navigating 5ch boards and threads on iPhone. Offers a clean interface for finding boards, reading threads, following replies, and viewing images with customizable options for a smooth experience.
- Browse boards and threads by category
- Save favorite boards and threads
- Adjustable text size and Dark Mode
- Block unwanted words, names, and IDs
- Preview replies and image thumbnails
- Resume reading with unread markers
- Thread title search functionality
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The official dedicated browser for reading 5channel boards and threads comfortably on iPhone. A simple, readable layout makes everyday use smooth: find a board, read a thread, follow replies, preview images, and post. Threads resume where you left off, and the app connects directly to 5ch.io for faster loading. Features • Boards and threads Open boards and threads quickly from the category list. Ranking views help you find active discussions. • Favorites and history Save boards and threads you follow. Return to previously read threads from history. • Resume reading Reopen a thread at the last post you read. Jump to unread, and see +N unread counts on boards, rankings, favorites, and history. • Readable thread view Compact layout, adjustable text size, Dark Mode, reply anchors, same-ID lookup, and an edge scrubber for long threads. ASCII art (AA) uses a monospaced font and horizontal scrolling so it stays intact. • Posting Reply in-thread. Attach a photo from your library or camera; it uploads to GZO and is inserted into your post. Shorten long URLs with jump5 without leaving the app. • Image and video previews Larger inline image previews. Watch YouTube in-app. Trusted hosts such as GZO, Imgur, and Pinterest can show rich previews. • NG word, NG name, and ID filters Hide words, names, and IDs you don’t want to see. • Reply popups Tap >>number links to inspect related posts quickly. • Search Find threads by title. • Japanese / English Switch the in-app language in Settings. Theme: Light, Dark, or System. This is the official browser for reading 5channel more comfortably. Use it for daily news, trending topics, and following threads you care about.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: 5Channel Browser at none against ampoo's shown. ampoo's advantage is review sentiment (44% vs 33%). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. ampoo sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and 5Channel Browser sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
ampoo ships an update every 4 days, 5Channel Browser every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ampoo | 5Channel Browser |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 44.0% of reviews — better | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 121 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | ampoo Inc. | Synic Inc. |
Customer experience
ampoo
5Channel Browser
In-app purchases
ampoo
- ポイント$0.99
- ポイント$2.99
- ポイント$7.99
5Channel Browser
- UPLIFT - 1 Month Subscription$4.991 Month








