# textPlus vs Pinger

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | textPlus | Pinger |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (272K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/textplus-text-message-plus-call/id314487667/reviews) | **[4.7 (70K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinger-call-plus-texting-app/id444741112/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **272K** | 70K |
| Positive reviews | 40.9% of reviews | **50.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#58** | #170 |
| Size | 201 MB | 219 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [textPlus, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/306523812) | [Pinger, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/299102705) |

## What reviewers say

### textPlus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/textplus-text-message-plus-call/id314487667)

**Currently charting:** #58 Top Free · Utilities, #139 Top Grossing · Utilities (US App Store)

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:** Siri integration, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Bundle Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Keep Phone Number | $9.99 | per year |
| Premium Number Bundle Annual | $39.99 | per year |
| Premium Number - 1 Year | $0.99 | one-time |
| 40 Minutes | $0.99 | one-time |
| $0.99 in Calling Credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| 99¢ in textPlus Credit | $0.99 | one-time |
| 100 Credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| 100 Minutes | $1.99 | one-time |
| $1.99 in Calling Credits | $1.99 | one-time |
| $5.49 in Calling Credits | $4.99 | one-time |
| $4.99 in textPlus Credit | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

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


### Pinger

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinger-call-plus-texting-app/id444741112)

**Currently charting:** #170 Top Grossing · Utilities (US App Store)

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:** Siri integration

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | per month |
| Voicemail to Text | $2.99 | per month |
| Pinger Plus Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Pinger Plan | $4.99 | per month |
| Pinger Plus Weekly | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Pinger Plus Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Pinger Plus Half Yearly | $39.99 | per 6 months |
| Pinger Plus Yearly | $69.99 | per year |
| 100 minutes | $1.99 | one-time |
| 400 minutes | $9.99 | one-time |
| 1000 minutes | $18.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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 #58 in the App Store charts, and Pinger at #170. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*