Comparison

Groupchat by Chatbooks vs thingz

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

Head to head
About

Groupchat by Chatbooks

Organize conversations with topic-based rooms and share media seamlessly. Plan events, create shared notes, and enjoy secure, private messaging. Turn memories into photo books with integrated printing.

Highlights
  • Topic-based chat rooms
  • Direct messaging
  • High-quality media sharing
  • Event planning and reminders
  • Shared notes for important info
  • Customizable group color schemes
  • Seamless integration with Chatbooks
Features
Read full description

Your people. Your moments. Stay connected with your groups using Groupchat, the best messaging app for families and other groups. Features include topic-based rooms, direct messaging, and seamless media sharing across all devices. Whether you're coordinating schedules, sharing photos, or just staying in touch, Groupchat keeps it all organized. ORGANIZED CONVERSATIONS, NO MORE SCROLLING Tired of losing track of important messages? Groupchat lets you organize chats by topic, making it easy to find recipes, trip plans, and more. Create Rooms (like channels on Slack or Discord) but with a friendly and clean layout, Groupchat is built specifically for families. SECURE, PRIVATE MESSAGING Your conversations are safe with military-grade security. We never sell your data, giving you privacy that rivals platforms like Signal and Telegram, without sacrificing family-friendly ease. SHARE PHOTOS, VIDEOS & AUDIO WITH EASE No more blurry images or broken videos. Groupchat ensures high-quality media sharing across all devices—like GroupMe or WhatsApp, but built for families. Send audio messages as well! CREATE EVENTS & REMEMBER BIRTHDAYS Plan gatherings and never miss another birthday with Groupchat's Events feature. Set shared reminders and keep everyone in the loop—no more scattered group texts. Polls help get everyone on the same page. SHARED NOTES TO KEEP YOUR GROUP ORGANIZED Need a place for emergency contacts, babysitter info, or grocery lists? Shared Notes make it easy to store and update important details, accessible to everyone in your family or group. MULTIPLE GROUPS, MULTIPLE COLOR SCHEMES Switch between different family groups effortlessly. Customize each group's color scheme so you always know which group you're chatting with. REPLY, REACT, AND KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING Add emojis, start message threads, and keep the group connected. Whether it's a quick heart or a detailed response, Groupchat makes staying engaged effortless. NO ADS, NO SPAM No distractions, no noise. Just a private, invite-only space for your family or group to connect. PRINT MEMORIES DIRECTLY WITH CHATBOOKS Turn your favorite moments into beautiful photo books. Groupchat integrates seamlessly with Chatbooks, making it easy to preserve memories with just a few taps. Why Families and other Groups Choose Groupchat • Organized, topic-based chats • Safe and secure messaging • Easy event planning and shared notes • Multiple groups with custom themes • High-quality media sharing

About

thingz

Organize and rediscover your saved content from various apps and websites. Easily share recommendations with friends and discover what they're saving. Never forget a great find again.

Highlights
  • Centralized saving from multiple sources
  • Automatic organization of saved content
  • Content resurfacing at opportune times
  • Easy sharing of recommendations
  • Discover friends' saved content
Read full description

Welcome to thingz. Most of what you save gets lost. That restaurant you wanted to try. That product you meant to buy. That idea you swore you'd remember. Buried in screenshots, saved posts, and browser tabs. Rediscover what you save with thingz. Find it when it matters and recommend what works with the people you trust. How it works: — Save from anywhere: Capture places, products, videos, links, and ideas from the apps you already use — Stay organized automatically: Saves are sorted into searchable collections, no filing required — Create from real experiences: Turn a place, product, or moment you've actually tried into a recommendation worth sharing — Add context: Save notes, photos, and details so you remember why something mattered when you come back to it — Find it when you need it: Your Loop resurfaces what you saved at the right time — Recommend what works: Share places, products, and experiences you've tried and loved Save it. Try it. Recommend it. Built on real experiences, ready when you need them.

Screenshots

Groupchat by Chatbooks4 screens
thingz4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Groupchat by Chatbooks at free against thingz's free with in-app purchases. Groupchat by Chatbooks also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). thingz's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly) and review sentiment (58% vs 49%). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Groupchat by Chatbooks against 4.8 for thingz. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 348 and 821 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 49% of Groupchat by Chatbooks's written reviews are positive against 58% of thingz's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Groupchat by Chatbooks ships an update monthly, thingz every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Groupchat by Chatbooks versus thingz: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGroupchat by Chatbooksthingz
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (348 ratings)4.8 (821 ratings) — better
Positive reviews48.8% of reviews57.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings348821 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB283 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperChatbooks, Inc.Likepost

Customer experience

Groupchat by Chatbooks

All ratings348 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral2.9%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive48.8%
Neutral14.6%
Negative36.6%

thingz

All ratings768 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive57.9%
Neutral15.8%
Negative26.3%

Bugs and requests

Groupchat by Chatbooks

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • Unable to send pictures
  • Family members not showing up
  • Spinning circle on login
  • Room not showing up after creation
  • Error message when creating duplicate room
Show 11 more
  • Unable to open specific rooms after update
  • App not working on iPhone
  • Shows new posts that aren't there
  • Mark all as read button not working
  • Report a bug feature not working
  • App crashes on launch (macOS)
  • Unable to get past verification code
  • New update makes interface awkward/ugly
  • Doesn't open to rooms tab
  • Taking away reactions
  • Annoying reply/reaction notification

Requested features

11 requests
  • Admin option to manage groups
  • Ability to add/remove members from groups
  • Search icon for rooms and content
  • Ability to lock rooms directly
  • Multiple "fam menus" for different groups
Show 6 more
  • Ability to delete rooms (not just archive)
  • Create polls within groups
  • Ability to change group icons/colors
  • Read receipt functionality
  • Support for video messages
  • Dark mode option

thingz

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Groupchat by Chatbooks

No in-app purchases

None

thingz

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Groupchat by Chatbooks free?
Groupchat by Chatbooks is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is thingz free?
thingz is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Groupchat by Chatbooks or thingz?
thingz is rated higher. Groupchat by Chatbooks averages 4.7 out of 5 from 348 ratings, while thingz averages 4.8 from 821 ratings.
Do Groupchat by Chatbooks or thingz have ads?
Neither Groupchat by Chatbooks nor thingz shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Groupchat by Chatbooks or thingz?
Groupchat by Chatbooks ships an update monthly, and thingz every 8 days. Most recently, Groupchat by Chatbooks was updated on November 7, 2026 and thingz on November 4, 2026.

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