WhatsApp Messenger vs Nearly
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WhatsApp Messenger
Connect with friends, family, and groups through messaging, voice, and video calls. Share moments, make plans with events and polls, and keep organized with pinned messages. Enjoy end-to-end encrypted conversations and share files up to 2GB.
- Group messaging and calling
- End-to-end encryption
- Live location sharing
- Event creation and polls
- HD photo and video sharing
- Disappearing messages
- Status updates
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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
Nearly
Connect with people in your immediate vicinity through group chats organized by location. Discover and join conversations happening around you to foster local community engagement.
- Create group threads for specific locations
- Chat with people nearby
- Discover local conversations
- Foster community engagement
- Real-time location-based chat
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Create group threads for places and chat with people nearby
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Nearly at none against WhatsApp Messenger's 10. Nearly also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). WhatsApp Messenger's advantage is ratings volume (19M vs 1) and chart position (#4 vs unranked). On price, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. WhatsApp Messenger sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.00 per month. Nearly asks for nothing beyond the download.
Nearly holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WhatsApp Messenger has 19M ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
WhatsApp Messenger ships an update every 4 days, Nearly weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WhatsApp Messenger | Nearly |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (19M ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 19M — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #4 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 397 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | WhatsApp Inc. | Harry Moy |
Customer experience
WhatsApp Messenger
Nearly
Bugs and requests
WhatsApp Messenger
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
Nearly
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
WhatsApp Messenger
- 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
Nearly
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is WhatsApp Messenger free?
Is Nearly free?
Which has better reviews, WhatsApp Messenger or Nearly?
Do WhatsApp Messenger or Nearly have ads?
Which is updated more often, WhatsApp Messenger or Nearly?
Other comparisons
