Comparison

Facebook vs WhatsApp

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

Head to head
About

Facebook

Connect with friends, discover communities, and explore interests through personalized feeds, reels, and AI-powered tools. Shop for items, create custom content, and share your world privately or publicly.

Highlights
  • Personalized content feed
  • Reels creation and viewing
  • AI-powered content generation
  • Marketplace for buying/selling
  • Group communities
  • Private messaging
  • Profile customization
Features
Read full description

Where real people propel your curiosity. Whether you’re thrifting gear, showing reels to that group who gets it, or sharing laughs over fun images reimagined by AI, Facebook helps you make things happen like no other social network. Explore and expand your interests: * Shop Marketplace for hidden gems and take your hobbies to the next level * Personalize your Feed to see more of what you like, less of what you don’t * Ask Meta AI for information and get answers instantly * Drive into reels that reflect the things you're interested in * Search Facebook on any topic and get more interactive results Connect with people and communities: * Join groups to learn tips from real people who’ve been there, done that * Get inspired by creators, or catch up with Friends * Add new Friends to your world, but also decide how closely to keep up with them * Privately message relatable posts that only your BFF will get or that reels trend everyone’s talking about Share your world: * Use generative AI to create custom stickers and images to delight friends * Customize your profile to choose how you show up and who sees your posts * Effortlessly create reels from trending templates, or showcase your creativity with a full suite of editing tools * Capture moments on the fly with stories Some features may not be available in your country or region. Terms & Policies: https://www.facebook.com/policies_center Privacy Policy: https://www.facebook.com/privacy Learn how we're working to help keep our communities safe across Meta technologies at the Meta Safety Center: https://about.meta.com/actions/safety

About

WhatsApp

Connect with friends and family through messaging, voice, and video calls. Organize groups, share moments, and make plans with features like polls and live location sharing. Enjoy private conversations with end-to-end encryption across multiple devices.

Highlights
  • Group messaging and calling
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Live location sharing
  • Polls for decision making
  • HD photo and video sharing
  • Disappearing messages
  • Cross-device compatibility
Features
Read full description

Bring your group together on WhatsApp. WhatsApp from Meta is a free messaging and calling app for the people and groups in your life. Bring your best friends, parent group, study group, or neighborhood together to chat, make plans, and share moments. Get everyone into the conversation Invite people with a link or QR code. Names and profile photos help you know who's who, and shared message history helps new members catch up. Make plans together Create events and track RSVPs. Use polls to choose a date or make a decision. Share your live location to find each other, and send documents up to 2GB. Keep your group organized Pin important messages. Admins can approve requests to join, and set group permissions. Have several related groups? Bring their chats and announcements together in a Community. Share more than messages Send HD photos and videos, voice messages, and short video notes. Make conversations your own with custom stickers, reactions, GIFs, and chat colors and backgrounds. Share everyday moments through Status-updates that disappear after 24 hours. Get together on a call Make unlimited voice and video calls with up to 32 people, with screen sharing, effects, and reactions. Speak freely Your personal messages and calls—including group chats and calls—stay private with end-to-end encryption. Not even WhatsApp can read or listen to them. Turn on disappearing messages to choose when your messages disappear. WhatsApp works on your phone, computer, tablet, and supported watch, including on slower connections. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have any feedback or questions, please go to WhatsApp > Settings > Help > Contact Us Terms of Service: https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/terms-of-service Learn more about messaging privately: https://www.whatsapp.com/privacy Learn more about WhatsApp safety: https://www.whatsapp.com/security

Screenshots

Facebook4 screens
WhatsApp4 screens

Verdict

The call

Facebook and WhatsApp both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 50% of WhatsApp's written reviews are positive against 41% of Facebook's. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Facebook sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month and WhatsApp sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

WhatsApp holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 29M and 19M respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Facebook's written reviews are positive against 50% of WhatsApp's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Facebook ships an update weekly, WhatsApp every 4 days. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 10 level
Facebook versus WhatsApp: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFacebookWhatsApp
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (29M ratings)4.7 (19M ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.6% of reviews50.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings29M — better19M
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#1 — better#2
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size528 MB392 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperMeta Platforms, Inc.WhatsApp Inc.

Customer experience

Facebook

All ratings29,126,960 ratings
Positive88.0%
Neutral3.6%
Negative8.4%
Written reviews23,205 reviews
Positive40.6%
Neutral8.2%
Negative51.2%

WhatsApp

All ratings18,930,169 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews17,534 reviews
Positive50.4%
Neutral8.2%
Negative41.4%

User reviews

Facebook

From 29M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Helpful for staying connected with family and friends
  • 👍 Useful for business and advertising
  • 👍 Great for sharing photos and memories
  • 👍 Convenient marketplace for buying and selling items

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitchy and buggy app with frequent issues
  • 🤖 Overly aggressive content moderation and censorship
  • 🤖 Biased and inconsistent enforcement of community guidelines
  • 🤖 Lack of effective customer support
  • 💸 Overrun with scams and fraudulent activity

WhatsApp

From 19M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💬 Great communication tool
  • 🌍 Connects people globally
  • 🔒 Secure and private messaging
  • 📱 Versatile features (calls, video, groups)
  • 🆓 Free to use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches (freezing, crashing, notification issues)
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns with data sharing
  • 🙈 Lack of customization and control (status, groups)
  • 📤 Backup and restore issues
  • 🚫 Arbitrary account bans

Bugs and requests

Facebook

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent app crashes and login issues
  • Inability to edit or delete old posts and comments
  • Marketplace listings getting incorrectly flagged or removed
  • Inconsistent behavior between mobile app and web version

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved customer support and appeal process
  • More transparency and consistency in content moderation
  • Better tools for managing and organizing content
  • Customizable feed and notification settings

WhatsApp

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App freezing and crashing issues
  • Notification problems (missing, delayed)
  • Backup and restore failures
  • Arbitrary account bans with poor support

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add dark mode option
  • Improve group management features
  • Allow more customization of status and notifications
  • Enhance backup and restore functionality
  • Provide better customer support and appeal process

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Facebook

Subscriptions2
  • Supporter$2.491 Month
  • Supporter$4.991 Month
One-time8
  • 99 Stars$0.99
  • 45 Stars$0.99
  • 95 Stars$1.99
Show 5 more
  • 145 Stars$2.99
  • 250 Stars$4.99
  • 310 Stars$5.99
  • 530 Stars$9.99
  • 1200 Stars$19.99
3 purchases

WhatsApp

Subscriptions3
  • No ads (1 account)$4.001 Month
  • No ads (4 accounts)5 variants$21.991 Month
  • No ads (5 accounts)4 variants$26.991 Month

Questions

Is Facebook free?
Facebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is WhatsApp free?
WhatsApp is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Facebook or WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is rated higher. Facebook averages 4.5 out of 5 from 29M ratings, while WhatsApp averages 4.7 from 19M ratings.
Do Facebook or WhatsApp have ads?
Both Facebook and WhatsApp show ads.
Which is updated more often, Facebook or WhatsApp?
Facebook ships an update weekly, and WhatsApp every 4 days. Most recently, Facebook was updated on November 11, 2026 and WhatsApp on November 11, 2026.
Which is more popular, Facebook or WhatsApp?
Facebook currently peaks at #1 in the App Store charts, and WhatsApp at #2. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons