# Google vs Phone

The clearest difference is rating: Google at 4.6 against Phone's 4.0. Google also leads on review sentiment (59% vs 28%) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 8 months). Phone's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 37) and ads (none vs shown). On price there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Google sells 22 in-app purchases, starting at $0.89 per month. Phone asks for nothing beyond the download.

Google holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Google has 5.1M ratings behind it against 10K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Google's written reviews are positive against 28% of Phone's.

Google ships an update every 5 days, Phone every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Google | Phone |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (5.1M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google/id284815942/reviews)** | [4.0 (10K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phone/id1146562108/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.1M** | 10K |
| Positive reviews | **59.1% of reviews** | 28.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 485 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Google](https://appshunter.io/developer/281956209) | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) |

## What reviewers say

### Google

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google/id284815942)

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Free · Utilities, #15 Top Free, #150 Top Grossing · Utilities (US App Store)

This app provides a comprehensive search experience, integrating AI for quick answers and personalized content. It allows you to search using images, voice, or text, and offers features like song identification and real-time translation.

**Highlights:** AI Overviews for quick answers, Image search with Lens, Hum to Search for song identification, Personalized Discover feed, Real-time camera translation, Home screen search widget

**Features:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases (22)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 30 GB | $0.89 | per month |
| 100 GB | $1.99 | per month |
| 100 GB | $1.99 | per month |
| 100 GB | $1.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $2.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $2.99 | per month |
| Google AI Plus (400 GB) | $4.99 | per month |
| Google AI Plus (400 GB) | $4.99 | per month |
| Google AI Plus (2 TB) | $9.99 | per month |
| 2 TB | $9.99 | per month |
| 100 GB | $19.99 | per year |
| Google AI Pro (5 TB) | $19.99 | per month |
| Google AI Pro (5 TB) | $19.99 | per month |
| Google AI Pro (2 TB) | $19.99 | per month |
| 5 TB | $24.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $29.99 | per year |
| 200 GB | $29.99 | per year |
| Google AI Plus (400 GB) | $49.99 | per year |
| 10 TB | $49.99 | per month |
| Google AI Plus (2 TB) | $99.99 | per year |
| 30 TB | $149.99 | per month |
| 5 TB | $249.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Reliable and feature-packed
- 👍 Seamless integration with other Google services
- 🔍 Accurate and personalized search results
- 📱 Intuitive and smooth interface
- 🔍 Helpful Google Assistant

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🔍 Biased or irrelevant search results
- 📱 Slow performance and freezing issues
- 🔍 Forced use of Google Lens
- 🔍 Difficulty removing unwanted content from feed

**Reported bugs**

- Search bar freezes or takes a long time to load
- Tabs disappearing or not saving properly
- Inability to save images or access image search
- Crashing or force closing issues
- Inconsistent dark mode/light mode behavior

**Requested features**

- Option to disable Google Lens
- Improved tab management
- Ability to customize news feed interests
- Restore image download functionality
- Dedicated search mode for trucks and larger vehicles


### Phone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phone/id1146562108)

This app consolidates all your calling needs, including standard phone calls, FaceTime audio, and video calls. It offers advanced features like voicemail transcription, call recording, and intelligent call screening to manage your communications efficiently.

**Highlights:** Unified calls (phone, FaceTime audio/video), Voicemail transcription and summaries, Live call recording, Customizable contact posters, Intelligent call screening, Wi-Fi calling, Automatic mic modes

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 📞 Reliable for making calls
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 📝 Live voicemail transcription
- 🔍 Useful for checking voicemails

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Notification issues
- 🔇 Microphone problems
- 🔍 Lacking advanced call screening features
- 🕰️ Outdated UI and functionality
- 🔀 Confusing with separate Contacts app

**Reported bugs**

- Voicemail notification issues
- Disappearing contact photos and information
- Inability to make outgoing calls after updates
- Inconsistent behavior with call log and missed call notifications

**Requested features**

- Allow editing of mistyped numbers
- Add search option in Recents tab
- Provide option to delete/change voicemail greeting
- Enable bulk contact deletion
- Integrate more customization options (e.g., ringtones, backgrounds)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Google free?

Google is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Phone free?

Phone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Google or Phone?

Google is rated higher. Google averages 4.6 out of 5 from 5.1M ratings, while Phone averages 4.0 from 10K ratings.

### Do Google or Phone have ads?

Google shows ads; Phone does not.

### Which is updated more often, Google or Phone?

Google ships an update every 5 days, and Phone every 8 months. Most recently, Google was updated on September 26, 2026 and Phone on September 25, 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.*