Comparison

textPlus vs Pinger

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

Head to head
About

textPlus

Get a free US phone number for unlimited texting and calling over WiFi or data. Save money on mobile plans by using this app to connect with friends and family globally. Offers inexpensive outbound calls and can turn tablets into phones.

Highlights
  • Free US phone number
  • Unlimited free texting (SMS, MMS, group chat)
  • Free inbound calls
  • Inexpensive outbound calls
  • Works over WiFi
  • Turn tablets into phones
Features
Read full description

Bringing you free texting, free picture messaging, a free US phone number, free inbound phone calls, and cheap outbound phone calls for nearly a decade! Works over WiFi or data to keep you connected with family and friends around the globe. text+ gives you: - A free US Phone number so friends can call & text you (you pick the area code) - Free texting (SMS, MMS + group chat) to any US or Canadian mobile number - Free inbound phone calls - Toll-free calling from anywhere in the world with no restrictions! - Inexpensive outbound phone calls - Works great over WiFi so you don’t even need a 3G/4G connection. - No contracts, no “surprise” costs. - Turn your iPod touch and iPad into a phone! Why keep paying for expensive mobile phone plans when you can switch to text+ and save $$$! IN APP SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS - If you choose to subscribe to a plan, you will be charged a price according to the plan selected in your country. The price will be shown in the app before you complete the payment. - Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of your current period - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, at the purchase price listed above - You may manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal by going to your iTunes Account Settings and then “Manage Subscriptions” * IMPORTANT: - We do not support 911 in the US - In order to place most outbound phone calls you will need to purchase credits within the App - If push notifications are not enabled, you may not receive messages and calls Terms of Use: https://textplus.com/textplus-terms-of-use/ Privacy Policy: https://textplus.com/textplus-privacy-policy/ Subscription Products: • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication

About

Pinger

This app provides a free U.S. phone number for unlimited calling and texting to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. It offers features like voicemail, group chat, and MMS messaging, functioning as a reliable alternative to a traditional phone line.

Highlights
  • Free U.S. phone number
  • Unlimited calling
  • Free texting (SMS)
  • Voicemail
  • Group chat
  • MMS picture & video messaging
Features
Read full description

Make free calls with a real U.S.phone number on the original free calling and texting app. Pinger comes preloaded with free calling minutes that can be used to call anyone in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico. After that, minutes are free to earn or cheap to purchase. SMS messages are also free. On top of free calling and SMS, additional features include voicemail, group chat, MMS picture & video messaging, emoji, ringtones, and more. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING “It’s like having a real phone number from the carrier. Except FREE.” –Nick “I started using this app back in 2007 on my iPod touch 3rd generation... Works every time, voice calls are clear, and no one knows it’s an app and not an actual phone. Highly recommended.” –Scott “I have used this app as my main phone number for years. It is just as reliable as an actual phone number.” –Kay “I’ve tried several, but hands down, Pinger is by far the best. Why? Simple: It works. Period.” –Tuc “I would rate this like 100,000,000 stars but can’t :/ only 5.” –Molly “Great to have a backup number especially when you travel abroad.” –Milo —— © 2020 Pinger, Inc. All rights reserved. The Pinger name, associated trademarks, and logos are trademarks of Pinger, Inc. or related entities. Terms of Service: https://www.pinger.com/privacy-policy/terms-and-conditions/ Privacy Policy: https://www.pinger.com/privacy-policy/ Subscriptions are automatically billed monthly or annually to your iTunes Account and auto-renew unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Payments are charged to your iTunes account upon confirmation of purchase. You can turn off auto-renew or manage subscriptions in your iTunes & App Store account settings. Cancellations take effect at the end of the active subscription period. Any unused portion of a free trial period (where available) is forfeited when purchasing a subscription.

Screenshots

textPlus4 screens
Pinger4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Pinger at weekly against textPlus's monthly. Pinger also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 41%). textPlus's advantage is ratings volume (272K vs 70K). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. textPlus sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Pinger sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for textPlus against 4.7 for Pinger. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 272K and 70K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 41% of textPlus's written reviews are positive against 50% of Pinger's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

textPlus ships an update monthly, Pinger weekly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
textPlus versus Pinger: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametertextPlusPinger
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (272K ratings)4.7 (70K ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.9% of reviews50.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings272K — better70K
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#63 — better#162
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size201 MB219 MB
Age rating17+12+
DevelopertextPlus, Inc.Pinger, Inc.

Customer experience

textPlus

All ratings271,825 ratings
Positive89.2%
Neutral4.2%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews1,513 reviews
Positive40.9%
Neutral6.3%
Negative52.7%

Pinger

All ratings70,108 ratings
Positive91.2%
Neutral3.1%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews321 reviews
Positive50.5%
Neutral7.5%
Negative42.1%

User reviews

textPlus

From 272K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Game-changing app
  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • 🚀 Fast and reliable texting and calling
  • 💡 Useful additional features
  • 👍 Great customer support

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unreliable notifications
  • 🔋 Frequent ads interrupting usage
  • 🐛 Inconsistent call and messaging functionality
  • 🔒 Security and privacy concerns
  • 🐛 Frequent glitches and bugs

Pinger

From 70K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great app
  • 👍 Simple and functional
  • 👍 Good app
  • 👍 Works pretty good
  • 👍 Great service, user friendly

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Constantly lock your account due to supposed shady activity
  • 💰 You have to pay $10 a month to receive SMS from apps
  • 🐛 Does not even let you create an account
  • 🔍 Why so many ads since last update??!
  • 🐛 Issues with Pinger

Bugs and requests

textPlus

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Inability to get new phone numbers
  • Randomly logging users out of accounts
  • Delayed or undelivered messages
  • Calls not connecting properly
  • Incompatibility with certain devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Upgrade options for better features
  • Improved notification system
  • Reduce intrusive ads
  • Expand international support
  • Add more customization options

Pinger

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Constantly lock your account due to supposed shady activity
  • Does not even let you create an account
  • Microphone doesn't work, can't hear me on calls
  • Inconsistent, can't make calls sometimes
  • Not dependable, messages don't go through

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to receive verification codes
  • Option to turn off sounds/notifications
  • Fix for not being able to send more than one picture at a time

In-app purchases

12 purchases

textPlus

Subscriptions3
  • Premium Bundle Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Keep Phone Number$9.991 Year
  • Premium Number Bundle Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time9
  • Premium Number - 1 Year$0.99
  • 40 Minutes$0.99
  • $0.99 in Calling Credits$0.99
Show 6 more
  • 99¢ in textPlus Credit2 variants$0.99
  • 100 Credits$0.99
  • 100 Minutes$1.99
  • $1.99 in Calling Credits$1.99
  • $5.49 in Calling Credits$4.99
  • $4.99 in textPlus Credit$4.99
11 purchases

Pinger

Subscriptions8
  • Remove Ads$2.991 Month
  • Voicemail to Text$2.991 Month
  • Pinger Plus Weekly$4.997 Days
Show 5 more
  • Pinger Plan$4.991 Month
  • Pinger Plus Weekly$6.997 Days
  • Pinger Plus Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Pinger Plus Half Yearly$39.996 Months
  • Pinger Plus Yearly$69.991 Year
One-time3
  • 100 minutes$1.99
  • 400 minutes$9.99
  • 1000 minutes$18.99

Questions

Is textPlus free?
textPlus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pinger free?
Pinger is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, textPlus or Pinger?
Pinger is rated higher. textPlus averages 4.6 out of 5 from 272K ratings, while Pinger averages 4.7 from 70K ratings.
Do textPlus or Pinger have ads?
Both textPlus and Pinger show ads.
Which is updated more often, textPlus or Pinger?
textPlus ships an update monthly, and Pinger weekly. Most recently, textPlus was updated on September 24, 2026 and Pinger on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, textPlus or Pinger?
textPlus currently peaks at #63 in the App Store charts, and Pinger at #162. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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