# Free Tone vs Text Vault

The clearest difference is price: Text Vault at Free against Free Tone's $1.99. Text Vault also leads on review sentiment (77% vs 50%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.6). Free Tone's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Text Vault is free to download; Free Tone costs $1.99 up front. Free Tone sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Text Vault sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Free Tone holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 63K and 23K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Free Tone's written reviews are positive against 77% of Text Vault's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Free Tone ships an update every 10 days, Text Vault every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 9, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Free Tone | Text Vault |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (63K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/free-tone-calling-and-texting/id338088432/reviews)** | [4.4 (23K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-vault-texting-app/id1186010974/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **63K** | 23K |
| Positive reviews | 49.9% of reviews | **77.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#4** | — |
| Size | 220 MB | 93 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [TextMe, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/307996876) | [Phoner Holdings LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895136973) |

## What reviewers say

### Free Tone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/free-tone-calling-and-texting/id338088432)

**Currently charting:** #4 Top Paid · Social Networking, #165 Top Paid (US App Store)

This app provides a personal US/Canada phone number for unlimited texting and calling. Enjoy group messaging, location sharing, and voicemail. Transform your iPad into a Wi-Fi phone with no hidden costs.

**Highlights:** Unlimited texting and picture messaging, Unlimited calling to US & Canada, Real personal phone number, Free voicemail, Group texting with photos/videos, Location sharing, Sticker selection

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration, Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Get this phone number | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Get this phone number | $2.99 | per month |
| Get this phone number | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Get this phone number | $6.49 | per month |
| Premium Features | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Features | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Features | $10.99 | per month |
| 40 TextMe Credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| 100 TextMe Credits | $1.99 | one-time |
| Get 1 Month Access | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Works well with WiFi
- 📞 Allows calls and texts
- 💰 Free to use
- 🤝 Good for business/professional use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Requires payment for premium features
- 🔍 Unclear about free vs paid features
- 🔧 Unreliable call/text functionality
- 📢 Excessive ads and notifications
- 🔒 Security/privacy concerns

**Reported bugs**

- Calls and texts frequently fail to connect
- Messages and notifications not always delivered
- App crashes or freezes unexpectedly
- Number deactivation issues

**Requested features**

- Improve call and text reliability
- Provide better customer support
- Offer more transparent pricing
- Reduce intrusive ads and notifications
- Improve security and privacy protections


### Text Vault

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-vault-texting-app/id1186010974)

Protect your real phone number with a private, disposable number for texting. Send and receive messages, including pictures, with temporary or permanent numbers from various countries. Keep your personal information secret during online transactions or when texting strangers.

**Highlights:** Disposable burner phone numbers, Private texting and SMS, International texting, MMS Picture Messaging support, Message deletion for privacy, Caller ID lookup, Do Not Disturb scheduling

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| New Number Offer | $4.99 | per month |
| Different Number Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Virtual Number | $9.99 | per month |
| Alternate Number | $9.99 | per month |
| Different Number | $14.99 | per month |
| 50 Text Credits | $4.99 | one-time |
| Starter Credits | $4.99 | one-time |
| 100 Text Credits | $5.99 | one-time |
| Number Level 4 | $9.99 | one-time |
| 250 Text Credits | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app
- 👍 Amazing
- 👍 Very Cool texting App
- 👍 Nice
- 👍 Cool

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Can't call
- 🐛 Some glitches here and there, other than that...
- 💰 Expensive non functional app
- 💰 Bait and Switch
- 💰 Stupid game don't buy it

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices
- Texts not always delivered

**Requested features**

- Voice messages
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Free Tone free?

Free Tone costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Text Vault free?

Text Vault is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Free Tone or Text Vault?

Free Tone is rated higher. Free Tone averages 4.7 out of 5 from 63K ratings, while Text Vault averages 4.4 from 23K ratings.

### Do Free Tone or Text Vault have ads?

Both Free Tone and Text Vault show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Free Tone or Text Vault?

Free Tone ships an update every 10 days, and Text Vault every 3 weeks. Most recently, Free Tone was updated on November 9, 2026 and Text Vault on November 9, 2026.

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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.*