# Text Free vs Receive SMS

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Text Free at 605K against Receive SMS's 1.1K. Text Free also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). Receive SMS's advantage is review sentiment (40% vs 28%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Text Free sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Receive SMS sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Text Free holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Text Free has 605K ratings behind it against 1.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 28% of Text Free's written reviews are positive against 40% of Receive SMS's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Text Free ships an update every 9 days, Receive SMS every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Text Free | Receive SMS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (605K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-free-second-phone-number/id399355755/reviews)** | [4.4 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/receive-sms-multiple-sim/id1639778516/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **605K** | 1.1K |
| Positive reviews | 28.2% of reviews | **40.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#13** | — |
| Size | 219 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pinger, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/299102705) | [Ayoub El Omrani](https://appshunter.io/developer/1326480886) |

## What reviewers say

### Text Free

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-free-second-phone-number/id399355755)

**Currently charting:** #13 Top Grossing · Social Networking, #19 Top Free · Social Networking (US App Store)

Get a free, personalized local phone number for unlimited calling and texting. Share photos, videos, GIFs, and more. Customize tones and wallpapers for a unique experience. Upgrade for ad-free use and verification codes.

**Highlights:** Free local phone number, Unlimited calling and texting, Send photos, videos, and GIFs, Group messaging, Custom ring and text tones, Auto-Reply feature, Available on multiple devices

**Features:** Siri integration

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | per month |
| Voicemail to Text | $2.99 | per month |
| Text Free Plan Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Text Free Plus Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Text Free Plus | $9.99 | per month |
| Text Free Plan | $9.99 | per month |
| Text Free Plus Half Yearly | $39.99 | per 6 months |
| Text Free 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**

- 🚀 Works great
- 👍 Convenient to use
- 💡 Helpful for international calls/texts
- 👍 Reliable service

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy, freezes, and crashes
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 💸 Paid subscription required for full functionality
- 📢 Excessive, intrusive ads
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with number sharing

**Reported bugs**

- Outgoing texts not working
- Number changing/expiring unexpectedly
- Inability to disable notifications
- Verification codes not working

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Group messaging capability
- Improved call quality and reliability
- Better account management and number retention


### Receive SMS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/receive-sms-multiple-sim/id1639778516)

Receive SMS messages online using real SIMs and dynamic sender IDs to protect your personal number. Get instant SMS delivery and temporary email addresses for anonymous online access.

**Highlights:** Receive SMS online, Hide personal phone number, Instant SMS delivery, Temporary email addresses, Fake identity generator, SSN validator

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Version | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good app
- 💡 Useful for getting codes

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Numbers don't work
- 🐛 Can't receive messages
- 🔋 Bloated with ads
- 💰 Forces you to pay

**Reported bugs**

- Numbers are invalid
- Verification codes not received
- App crashes and freezes

**Requested features**

- Add chat functionality
- Improve verification process


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Text Free free?

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

### Is Receive SMS free?

Receive SMS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Text Free or Receive SMS?

Text Free is rated higher. Text Free averages 4.7 out of 5 from 605K ratings, while Receive SMS averages 4.4 from 1.1K ratings.

### Do Text Free or Receive SMS have ads?

Both Text Free and Receive SMS show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Text Free or Receive SMS?

Text Free ships an update every 9 days, and Receive SMS every 3 weeks. Most recently, Text Free was updated on September 27, 2026 and Receive SMS on September 25, 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.*