# WeChat vs Merody

The clearest difference is price: WeChat at Free against Merody's $1.00. WeChat also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and chart position (#17 vs unranked). Merody's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown).

WeChat is free to download; Merody costs $1.00 up front. WeChat sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Merody asks for nothing beyond the download.

WeChat ships an update every 3 weeks, Merody every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | WeChat | Merody |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.00 |
| Rating | **[3.9 (82K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wechat/id414478124/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **82K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 31.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#17** | — |
| Size | 922 MB | 2.5 GB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [WeChat](https://appshunter.io/developer/614694882) | [Sai Man Lau](https://appshunter.io/developer/1485728156) |

## What reviewers say

### WeChat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wechat/id414478124)

**Currently charting:** #17 Top Free · Social Networking, #22 Top Grossing · Social Networking (US App Store)

Connect with friends and family through messaging, voice, and video calls. Discover news, local services, and games within the app. Features mobile payment and health tracking capabilities.

**Highlights:** Text, photo, voice, and video messaging, Group chats up to 500 members, High-quality voice and video calls, Real-time location sharing, Moments for sharing photos and videos, Official Accounts for news and content, Mini Programs for third-party services, Mobile payment with Weixin Pay

**Features:** Siri integration, Apple Wallet, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WeChat Out Top-Up Card | $0.99 | one-time |
| 42 WeBeans | $0.99 | one-time |
| WeChat Out Top-Up Card | $1.99 | one-time |
| 126 WeBeans | $2.99 | one-time |
| WeChat Out Top-Up Card | $3.99 | one-time |
| 350 WeBeans | $6.99 | one-time |
| WeChat Out Top-Up Card | $9.99 | one-time |
| WeChat Out Top-Up Card | $14.99 | one-time |
| 896 WeBeans | $19.99 | one-time |
| 9086 WeBeans | $199.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great all-in-one app
- 👍 Convenient features like payments and mini-programs
- 💡 Useful translation and sharing functions
- 🔒 Secure and private

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Accounts getting blocked for no reason
- 🔒 Strict security measures and verification requirements
- 👎 Poor customer support and unresponsive to user issues
- 🔋 High storage and battery consumption
- 🤔 Censorship and monitoring concerns

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes and connectivity issues
- Syncing problems between devices
- Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
- Unreliable voice/video call quality

**Requested features**

- Add dark mode option
- Improve chat organization with folders and pinning
- Allow editing of posted content
- Provide better translation and language support
- Simplify account recovery and unblocking process


### Merody

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merody/id6745771982)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is WeChat free?

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

### Is Merody free?

Merody costs $1.00, with no in-app purchases.

### Do WeChat or Merody have ads?

WeChat shows ads; Merody does not.

### Which is updated more often, WeChat or Merody?

WeChat ships an update every 3 weeks, and Merody every 3 months. Most recently, WeChat was updated on November 6, 2026 and Merody on October 30, 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.*