WeChat vs the815
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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WeChat is more than a messaging and social media app – it is a lifestyle for one billion users across the world. Chat and make calls with friends, read news and use local services in Official Accounts and Mini Programs, play games with friends, enjoy mobile payment features with Weixin Pay, and much more. Why do one billion people use WeChat? • MORE WAYS TO CHAT: Message friends using text, photo, voice, video, location sharing, and more. Create group chats with up to 500 members. • VOICE & VIDEO CALLS: High-quality voice and video calls to anywhere in the world. Make group video calls with up to 15 people. • REAL-TIME LOCATION: Not good at explaining directions? Share your real-time location with the tap of a button. • MOMENTS: Never forget your favorite moments. Post photos, videos, and more to share with friends on your personal Moments stream. • STICKER GALLERY: Browse thousands of fun, animated stickers to help express yourself in chats, including stickers with your favorite cartoon and movie characters. • CUSTOM STICKERS: Make chatting more unique with custom stickers and selfie stickers. • OFFICIAL ACCOUNTS: Tons of accounts to follow with original content and news for your reading pleasure. • MINI PROGRAMS: Countless third-party services all within the WeChat app that don't require additional installation, saving you precious phone storage and time. • TOP STORIES: See the latest articles your friends are reading and discover all kinds of interesting content. • GAMES: Have fun and compete with friends in a huge selection of WeChat Mini Games and Tencent Games (available in select regions). • WEIXIN PAY: Enjoy the convenience of world-leading mobile payment features with Weixin Pay and Wallet (available in select regions). • WECHAT OUT: Make calls to mobile phones and landlines around the globe at super low rates (only available in select regions). • WERUN: Use Healthkit and Health app data to sync your step count on WeRun, where you can compete against friends with daily step rankings. Enable WeRun in “Settings” > “General” > “Plug-ins”. • LANGUAGE SUPPORT: Localized in 20+ different languages and can translate friends' messages and Moments posts. • BETTER PRIVACY: Giving you the highest level of control over your privacy, WeChat is certified by TRUSTe - view our privacy policy for more information. • EASY MODE: Clearer and larger text and buttons for better readability.
the815
Connect with your Rockford neighbors, discover local events, and support local businesses. This app provides a dedicated space for community discussions, club creation, and exploring local dining options. It's designed to foster a stronger sense of belonging and engagement within the city.
- Community discussions
- Local event discovery
- Create and join clubs
- Explore local restaurants
- Local business promotion
- Ticket selling and scanning
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the815 — Rockford's community, in your pocket. Made by Rockfordians, for Rockfordians. the815 is the local app for everything happening in the 815 — a place to talk with your neighbors, discover things to do, support local businesses, and feel more connected to the city we call home. Discuss local happenings Jump into real conversations about what's going on in Rockford. Ask for recommendations, share news, weigh in on local issues, or just see what the city is talking about today. It's the friendly, local-first discussion board Rockford has been missing. Discover local events Concerts, festivals, markets, game nights, fundraisers, and everything in between. Browse what's coming up around the area, get the details, and never miss the good stuff happening near you. Create & join local clubs Find your people. Start a club around what you love — running, gaming, books, photography, small business, you name it — or join one that's already going. Manage members, post updates, and keep your community organized in one place. Explore local restaurants Discover where to eat in Rockford, from longtime favorites to new spots worth trying. Find your next go-to and support the local kitchens that make the815 delicious. Built for local businesses the815 isn't just for residents — it's a toolkit for the businesses that power Rockford. Promote your events, reach a local audience, and sell tickets right inside the app. Built-in ticket scanning makes check-in at the door fast and painless, so you can focus on your guests. Why the815? Because Rockford deserves its own home online — not another national feed, but a space built around the815 and the people in it. Whether you're looking for something to do this weekend, a new community to join, or a better way to grow your local business, the815 brings it all together. Download the815 and get plugged into Rockford today.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: WeChat at 3.9 against the815's 3.0. WeChat also leads on ratings volume (82K vs 2) and chart position (#21 vs unranked). the815's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On price and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. WeChat sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. the815 asks for nothing beyond the download.
WeChat holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WeChat has 82K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 31% of WeChat's written reviews are positive against 50% of the815's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
WeChat ships an update every 3 weeks, the815 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | the815 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (82K ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 31.4% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 82K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #21 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 922 MB | 131 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Realms.tv | |
Customer experience
the815
Bugs and requests
Reported bugs
4 issues- Frequent app crashes and connectivity issues
- Syncing problems between devices
- Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
- Unreliable voice/video call quality
Requested features
5 requests- 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
the815
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
- WeChat Out Top-Up Card$0.99
- 42 WeBeans$0.99
- WeChat Out Top-Up Card$1.99
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- 126 WeBeans$2.99
- WeChat Out Top-Up Card$3.99
- 350 WeBeans$6.99
- WeChat Out Top-Up Card$9.99
- WeChat Out Top-Up Card$14.99
- 896 WeBeans$19.99
- 9086 WeBeans$199.99
the815
No in-app purchases









