Comparison

Public Mobile vs Open There

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

Head to head
About

Public Mobile

This app offers a 5G wireless subscription service with self-service account management. Activate your service, manage plans, track usage, and earn rewards. Get 24/7 online support for all your mobile needs.

Highlights
  • 5G subscription phone service
  • eSIM activation
  • Self-service account management
  • Plan usage tracking
  • Rewards program
  • Refer-a-friend savings
  • 24/7 online support
Features
Read full description

Welcome to different. Public Mobile is a wireless subscription service that does mobility differently. Sign up for Canada's first 5G subscription phone service in a few simple steps. With the Public Mobile app, you're in control. Activate in minutes with eSIM along with an eSIM compatible device and choose from 5G speed plans and unlimited data on Canada's largest network. Manage your own account with easy, self-service features in the app. Just like your other subscription services set it and forget it. Download the Public Mobile app for free to get started. Subscribe with a few quick clicks in the app: • Select and activate your subscription • Save with a 90 day subscription • Purchase and activate your eSIM or SIM card • You can keep your phone number when you subscribe to Public Mobile. Manage your plan anywhere, anytime with My Account: • Manage your subscription • Track your plan usage • Purchase add-ons Earn points that save you money with our Rewards program: • Check rewards balance • Redeem your points • Refer-a-friend to share savings Skip the wait time with 24/7 online solutions: • Access virtual support at your fingertips • Find answers and ask questions Download the Public Mobile App now. Learn more at publicmobile.ca

About

Open There

Features
Read full description

Note: Requires the macOS app to be installed to work with. Open There is the simple way to get something from your phone onto your Mac. Tap Share on your iPhone or iPad and choose Open There. A link opens in your Mac's browser. A file, photo, or video lands in your Downloads folder, with a notification showing you what arrived. No address to copy, no message to send yourself, no extra account to create. WHAT IT DOES Sends links, files, photos, videos, and text from the iOS Share Sheet Sends several items at once, straight from Photos or Files Saves what arrives to your Downloads folder, or any folder you choose Shows a notification when something lands, with a preview for images and video Keeps everything in one Mac list, split into All, Links, Files, and Photos Opens, previews with Quick Look, saves elsewhere, reveals in Finder, or drags out to any app Holds items in a durable queue when iCloud is briefly unavailable Runs from the Mac menu bar, with an optional Open at login setting Includes the iPhone, iPad, and Mac versions in one universal app OPEN THERE PRO See your full history instead of the five most recent items Keep received files and links in the list rather than only in a folder Track what you have not looked at, and show the count in the menu bar Search, sort, and select several items at once Buy from the Mac app as a low-cost yearly plan or a one-time lifetime option PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything travels through your own private iCloud database. Open There has no advertising, no analytics SDK, no third-party relay, and no account system to sign up for. What you send is deleted from iCloud once your Mac has it. Delivered items stay in one local list on that Mac, which Open There does not sync anywhere. REQUIREMENTS Your iPhone or iPad and Mac must be signed in to the same Apple Account for iCloud. Open the Mac version once to register it as a destination, then leave the menu-bar receiver running. Files up to 250 MB can be sent. Offline delivery is retried when iOS next gives the app time to run or when you open the iOS app. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: https://openthere.app/privacy

Screenshots

Public Mobile4 screens
Open There3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Public Mobile at none against Open There's 2. Open There's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads 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. Open There sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Public Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Public Mobile ships an update every 3 weeks, Open There daily. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Public Mobile versus Open There: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPublic MobileOpen There
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (216 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews44.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings216 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTELUS Communications Inc.Alt Development Labs, Inc.

Bugs and requests

Public Mobile

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Activation issues
  • Logging in problems
  • App crashes and freezes
  • Unreliable service
  • Billing and payment issues

Requested features

3 requests
  • Wifi calling
  • Support for iPad/tablets
  • Improve customer service access

Open There

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Public Mobile

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Open There

Subscriptions1
  • Open There Pro Yearly$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • Open There Pro Lifetime$14.99

Questions

Is Public Mobile free?
Public Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Open There free?
Open There is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Public Mobile or Open There have ads?
Neither Public Mobile nor Open There shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Public Mobile or Open There?
Public Mobile ships an update every 3 weeks, and Open There daily. Most recently, Public Mobile was updated on October 19, 2026 and Open There on October 15, 2026.

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