Comparison

Patch vs Neighbors by Ring

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

Head to head
About

Patch

Stay informed about your local community with real-time news, events, and weather updates. Discover schools, homes for sale, jobs, and announcements in a single, easy-to-scroll feed. Receive breaking news alerts and share stories with friends.

Highlights
  • Local news and events for 1,200+ towns
  • Breaking news push notifications
  • Local weather forecasts and alerts
  • Find local jobs and announcements
  • One-scroll feed for town happenings
  • Bookmark articles for later reading
  • Support for following multiple towns
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

If you're looking for "everything local," Patch is the app for you. Local schools? Check. Breaking news? Check. Homes for sale? We've got those, too. You'll always be in touch with your town with the Patch app. Check out these features: • News and events for 1,200+ Patch Towns, with more towns added every month. • Push notifications as important news breaks — you’ll be the first to get the scoop. • Swipe left or right to view articles faster. • Local weather forecasts and alerts — you'll never be caught without an umbrella or snow boots again. • Find local events, jobs and announcements in your area. • Get everything that is happening in your town in a one-scroll feed! • Share stories to your Facebook friends or email/SMS to a friend! • Patch also has fun iMessage animal stickers to share your emotions with your friends! • Love an article? You can bookmark it to your phone to come back and read it later. • Want to follow multiple towns? No problem, swipe left or right to navigate between your favorite Patch towns. Our new Patch app delivers a beautiful browsing and reading experience for iOS users. Our pages load lightning fast. You'll never be kept waiting to see what's behind that headline. The sleek design provides an in-depth storytelling experience fueled by concise writing and rich imagery. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: We're eager to hear your feedback and suggestions. How can we make the app even better? What features would you like to see? We aim to be the best news app in the country, and your ideas are crucial. Please email us at Feedback@patch.com Images used under license from Shutterstock.com

About

Neighbors by Ring

Stay informed about local safety with real-time updates from your community, news, and public safety agencies. Connect with neighbors to share information and build safer neighborhoods together.

Highlights
  • Real-time safety alerts
  • Hyper-local information
  • Incident Map
  • Safety Report
  • Connect with neighbors
  • Public safety agency collaboration
Currently charting
Read full description

Always know what’s happening in your neighborhood with real-time, hyper-local safety information from your neighbors, local news sources, and public safety agencies. Why Neighbors by Ring? - Get safety alerts relevant to you and your neighborhood. - Always know when and where things are happening in your area with the Incident Map and Safety Report. - Connect with your neighbors and share updates to keep your community safe and informed. - Work with public safety agencies to build safer neighborhoods. Join the neighborhood to create safer neighborhoods, together. -- We love hearing from you and we're always looking to improve the Neighbors app. As always, feel free to send your feedback to neighbors@ring.com -- By using this app, I agree to Ring's Terms of Service (https://ring.com/terms). See Privacy (https://ring.com/privacy) for additional information.

Screenshots

Patch4 screens
Neighbors by Ring4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Neighbors by Ring at none against Patch's shown. Neighbors by Ring also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (305K vs 27K). Patch's advantage is review sentiment (59% vs 28%) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Patch against 4.8 for Neighbors by Ring. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Neighbors by Ring has 305K ratings behind it against 27K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 59% of Patch's written reviews are positive against 28% of Neighbors by Ring's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Patch ships an update every 2 months, Neighbors by Ring every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Patch versus Neighbors by Ring: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPatchNeighbors by Ring
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (27K ratings)4.8 (305K ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.2% of reviews — better27.8% of reviews
Number of ratings27K305K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedAd-supported
Best chart rank#179#21 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB150 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperPatch MediaRing.com

Customer experience

Patch

All ratings26,281 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral3.3%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews147 reviews
Positive59.2%
Neutral7.5%
Negative33.3%

Neighbors by Ring

All ratings304,925 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral3.0%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews266 reviews
Positive27.8%
Neutral6.0%
Negative66.2%

User reviews

Patch

From 27K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🗞️ Informative local news
  • 📰 Comprehensive coverage of community events
  • 🔍 Useful for staying up-to-date on local happenings
  • 🗓️ Timely and relevant information
  • 💻 Convenient online/mobile access to local news

Room to improve

  • 🔌 App stability and performance issues
  • 🔍 Limited ability to customize content and notifications
  • 📢 Concerns about removal of reader comments
  • 🗺️ Lack of location-specific focus in some areas
  • 💲 Paid subscription model for full access

Neighbors by Ring

From 305K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Helpful for community awareness
  • 🔒 Useful for security and safety
  • 👍 Good alternative to Nextdoor
  • 👍 Clean and clear interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Posts frequently denied for unclear reasons
  • 🤔 Inconsistent moderation of posts
  • 🤔 Excessive notifications for minor events
  • 🤔 Negative comments from some users

Bugs and requests

Patch

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Articles failing to load or open properly
  • Notification issues, including duplicate or missing alerts
  • Inconsistent app behavior after updates
  • Difficulty clearing unread article indicators

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow users to select specific news categories of interest
  • Improve notification system to be more reliable and customizable
  • Restore reader comment functionality
  • Enhance location-based targeting and content curation
  • Offer more affordable or free access options

Neighbors by Ring

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes or freezes frequently
  • Issues with changing location or neighborhood
  • Inconsistent video playback and loading
  • Inaccurate address display

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow users to post phone numbers for lost pets/people
  • Improve post filtering and moderation
  • Enable users to customize notification settings
  • Provide more transparency on post approval/denial criteria

In-app purchases

None

Patch

No in-app purchases

None

Neighbors by Ring

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Patch free?
Patch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Neighbors by Ring free?
Neighbors by Ring is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Patch or Neighbors by Ring?
Neighbors by Ring is rated higher. Patch averages 4.7 out of 5 from 27K ratings, while Neighbors by Ring averages 4.8 from 305K ratings.
Do Patch or Neighbors by Ring have ads?
Patch shows ads; Neighbors by Ring does not.
Which is updated more often, Patch or Neighbors by Ring?
Patch ships an update every 2 months, and Neighbors by Ring every 3 weeks. Most recently, Patch was updated on October 28, 2026 and Neighbors by Ring on October 28, 2026.
Which is more popular, Patch or Neighbors by Ring?
Patch currently peaks at #179 in the App Store charts, and Neighbors by Ring at #21. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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