Comparison

WhatsApp vs LINE

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

Head to head
About

WhatsApp

Connect with friends and family through messaging, voice, and video calls. Organize groups, share media, and make plans easily. Enjoy private conversations with end-to-end encryption across multiple devices.

Highlights
  • Group messaging and calling
  • End-to-end encryption
  • HD photo and video sharing
  • Live location sharing
  • Event creation and polls
  • Status updates
  • 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

About

LINE

Connect with friends and family through free voice and video calls, messaging, and a wide array of stickers and themes. This platform offers seamless communication across mobile, desktop, and smartwatches, with features like encrypted messaging for enhanced privacy.

Highlights
  • Free voice and video calls
  • Messaging with stickers and emojis
  • Cross-platform compatibility (mobile, desktop, smartwatch)
  • Encrypted messaging (Letter Sealing)
  • Keep Memo for temporary storage
  • Customizable themes
Features
Read full description

LINE is transforming the way people communicate, closing the distance between family, friends, and loved ones—for free. With voice and video calls, messages, and a limitless variety of exciting stickers, you’ll be able to express yourself in ways that you never thought possible. Available all around the world on mobile, desktop, and Apple Watch, the LINE platform continues to grow, always offering new services and features that make your life more fun and convenient. ◆ Messages, Voice calls, Video calls. Enjoy voice and video calls and exchanging messages with your LINE friends. ◆ LINE stickers, emojis, and themes Express yourself just the way you want with stickers and emojis. Also, find your favorite themes to customize your LINE app. ◆ Home Gives you easy access to your friends list, birthdays, the sticker shop and various services and contents offered by LINE. ◆ Seamless connection on mobile, Apple Watch, and desktop Chat anytime and anywhere. Whether you’re on the go or working at the office or remotely, use LINE via your iPhone, Apple Watch, or desktop. ◆ Store your personal information with Keep Memo My own chatroom to temporarily store messages, photos, and videos. ◆ Messages protected with Letter Sealing Letter Sealing encrypts your messages, call history and location information. Always be assured of your privacy when using LINE. *We recommend using a data plan or connecting to Wi-Fi as you may incur data usage fees otherwise. *Please check the recommended specifications from LINE settings > “Help center” > “LINE usage environment/Settings” > "System requirements for LINE” when installing/updating the LINE app. In addition, if you're using an old version of iOS, we recommend updating it to the latest version. ▼Click here to see how to update your iOS version. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204204 ********** If your network speed is too slow or you don't have enough device storage, LINE may not install properly. If this happens, please check your connection and try again. **********

Screenshots

WhatsApp4 screens
LINE4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: WhatsApp at 4.7 against LINE's 3.2. WhatsApp also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 23%) and ratings volume (19M vs 19K). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. WhatsApp sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.00 per month and LINE sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 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 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WhatsApp has 19M ratings behind it against 19K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of WhatsApp's written reviews are positive against 23% of LINE's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WhatsApp ships an update every 4 days, LINE every 9 days. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
WhatsApp versus LINE: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWhatsAppLINE
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (19M ratings) — better3.2 (19K ratings)
Positive reviews50.3% of reviews — better23.5% of reviews
Number of ratings19M — better19K
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#2 — better#32
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size392 MB405 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperWhatsApp Inc.LINE Corporation

Customer experience

WhatsApp

All ratings18,941,744 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews17,732 reviews
Positive50.3%
Neutral8.1%
Negative41.5%

LINE

All ratings18,577 ratings
Positive50.8%
Neutral9.4%
Negative39.7%
Written reviews2,862 reviews
Positive23.5%
Neutral7.8%
Negative68.7%

User reviews

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

LINE

From 19K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💬 Great messaging app
  • 🎨 Customizable with cute stickers
  • 🌐 Useful for international communication
  • 🔒 Secure and private

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
  • 🔑 Difficult account recovery and transfer
  • 🚫 Accounts suspended without explanation
  • 🤖 Poor customer support
  • 🔍 Difficulty adding and searching for contacts

Bugs and requests

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

LINE

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Unable to log in or sign up
  • Messages not sending or receiving
  • Notifications not working properly
  • App crashing after updates
  • Incompatibility with new devices and OS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • See who is online and typing
  • Ability to translate messages
  • Automatic chat history backup and sync
  • Easier sticker management and organization
  • More ways to earn free stickers and points

In-app purchases

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
9 purchases

LINE

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Plan1 Month trial2 variants$4.991 Month
One-time8
  • 50 LINE Coin$0.99
  • 70 LINE Coin$1.39
  • 100 LINE Coin$1.99
Show 5 more
  • 150 LINE Coin$2.99
  • 200 LINE Coin$3.99
  • 500 LINE Coin$7.99
  • 800 LINE Coin$11.99
  • 1600 LINE Coin$22.99

Questions

Is WhatsApp free?
WhatsApp is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is LINE free?
LINE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, WhatsApp or LINE?
WhatsApp is rated higher. WhatsApp averages 4.7 out of 5 from 19M ratings, while LINE averages 3.2 from 19K ratings.
Do WhatsApp or LINE have ads?
Both WhatsApp and LINE show ads.
Which is updated more often, WhatsApp or LINE?
WhatsApp ships an update every 4 days, and LINE every 9 days. Most recently, WhatsApp was updated on November 13, 2026 and LINE on November 13, 2026.
Which is more popular, WhatsApp or LINE?
WhatsApp currently peaks at #2 in the App Store charts, and LINE at #32. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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