Comparison

Three vs Purple Visits

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

Head to head
About

Three

Easily manage your mobile and broadband plans. Track usage, view bills, top up accounts, and access exclusive offers. Set up and manage your broadband with helpful tools.

Highlights
  • View plan allowances and usage
  • Manage additional products
  • Access past bills and cost breakdowns
  • Top up Pay As You Go accounts
  • Set up and manage broadband
  • Access Three+ rewards
  • Live chat support
Features
Read full description

The Three app makes managing your phone and broadband plans easy. The app helps you: - view plan allowances and usage - add, change or cancel additional products - access past bills and see a breakdown of costs - top up your Pay As You Go account - see offers you won’t find anywhere else - set up and manage your broadband - position your hub with the real-time signal strength indicator - quickly launch Three+ rewards - discover Three Community - live chat with Three - manage payments easily and securely with Apple Pay.

About

Purple Visits

Connect with loved ones through secure, high-definition video calls. This platform makes family contact easier and more cost-effective than in-person visits, allowing multiple participants to join from various locations.

Highlights
  • Secure video calls
  • High-definition video
  • Up to 3 additional participants
  • Visit from home or work
  • Cost-effective alternative to travel
  • Show loved ones around your home
Features
Read full description

The Purple Visits secure video calling system keeps you and your loved one connected with a fully secure and compliant platform used within secure establishments. Feel closer than a phone call when you’re unable to visit with a fully immersive HD* video calling experience that has been designed to make family contact easier and more cost affective than visiting in person. • Video calls, don’t settle for just hearing them, see them too with a purple visits video call, the whole family can get involved with up to 3 additional participants being verified to accompany you on your video call. • Visit from home, The Purple Visits video calling system allows you to have a video calling option when visiting in person would simply be impossible. • Call from work, the purple visits video calling system doesn’t limit you to one location, you can use the system to video call from anywhere with a reliable broadband or 4G** connection. • Call from the grandma’s, Add Grandma as an additional participant and take your video call round there, if grandma has been verified (easily done through the app) then feel free to let her join in on call too! • Cost affective, our users are saving hundreds of pounds in travel and childcare costs every time by video calling instead. • Show them around, the purple visits platform has been designed for you to show your loved one around the home, go ahead and flip the camera and show them the family pet or your latest decorating masterpiece. Visitor feedback: “We have been using the purple visits system for three months now and are extremely grateful that it is available for our son” “Before purple visits were introduced, I was unable to visit my son in Jersey, now we have visited virtually every week and its really lifted his spirits” “Being able to video call during my lunch break has made things so much better. We video chat every Wednesday and Friday!” *HD calling is limited by your device and your connectivity, in order to achieve HD quality video calls you must be connected to a good quality and reliable WIFI signal and have a HD quality camera within your device. **Data charges may apply if connecting via mobile internet. Contact your provider for details We're always excited to hear from you! If you have feedback, questions, or concerns, please email us at: help@purplevisits.com or follow us on twitter: https://twitter.com/purplevisits @purplevisits

Screenshots

Three4 screens
Purple Visits4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Purple Visits at 92% against Three's 18%. Purple Visits also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.4) and ads (none vs shown). Three's advantage is ratings volume (1.1K vs 57). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Purple Visits holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Three has 1.1K ratings behind it against 57, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 18% of Three's written reviews are positive against 92% of Purple Visits's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Three ships an update every 2 weeks, Purple Visits every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Three versus Purple Visits: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThreePurple Visits
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (1.1K ratings)4.9 (57 ratings) — better
Positive reviews18.0% of reviews92.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.1K — better57
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size193 MB102 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperHutchison 3G UK LtdMade Purple

Customer experience

Three

All ratings1,119 ratings
Positive85.2%
Neutral3.4%
Negative11.4%
Written reviews959 reviews
Positive18.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative77.0%

Purple Visits

All ratings57 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews77 reviews
Positive92.2%
Neutral3.9%
Negative3.9%

User reviews

Three

From 1.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • ✨ Reliable service
  • 💰 Good value
  • 🌍 Excellent roaming coverage

Room to improve

  • 🔧 Buggy app
  • 📶 Poor network coverage
  • 🤖 Unhelpful customer service
  • 💸 Overcharging issues
  • 🔒 Security concerns

Purple Visits

From 57 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use and set up
  • ❤️ Connects loved ones
  • ✈️ Saves travel time and cost
  • 😊 Provides reassurance and peace of mind
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Great for families, especially children

Room to improve

  • ⏳ Calls are too short (30 mins)
  • ⚠️ Prison option not asked first
  • ❌ Some prisons no longer support
  • 🤔 Unclear about payment for the app
  • 📸 Camera issues (twisting, switching off)

Bugs and requests

Three

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Inaccurate data usage tracking
  • Inability to cancel add-ons

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add Apple Pay support
  • Improve app stability and performance
  • Provide better network coverage information
  • Streamline account management features

Purple Visits

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Camera twists on iPhone
  • Video stops/switches off with slight movement
  • Face recognition issues causing call interruptions
  • System locks out after covering face
  • Bold text on iPhone causes connection issues
Show 7 more
  • System picks up background images/objects
  • Bugged when connected to a monitor
  • Cannot change address
  • Call gets rejected even when slots are visible
  • Video cuts out frequently
  • Pixelated and buffering issues
  • Login issues after phone breaks

Requested features

10 requests
  • Ask about prison first during registration
  • Increase call duration to 1 hour
  • Option to pay for prisoner food/drink during visit
  • Countdown timer for visit duration
  • Improve camera stability and recognition
Show 5 more
  • Allow easier device switching
  • Remove fully booked time slots from visibility
  • Ensure prisoners are brought on time for calls
  • Provide a 'test shot' feature for camera setup
  • Allow longer video calls for overseas connections

In-app purchases

None

Three

No in-app purchases

None

Purple Visits

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Three free?
Three is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Purple Visits free?
Purple Visits is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Three or Purple Visits?
Purple Visits is rated higher. Three averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Purple Visits averages 4.9 from 57 ratings.
Do Three or Purple Visits have ads?
Three shows ads; Purple Visits does not.
Which is updated more often, Three or Purple Visits?
Three ships an update every 2 weeks, and Purple Visits every 3 weeks. Most recently, Three was updated on September 22, 2026 and Purple Visits on September 22, 2026.

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