Comparison

LINE vs NearHere

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

Head to head
About

LINE

Connect with friends and family through free voice and video calls, messaging, and a wide array of stickers and themes. This platform offers seamless communication across mobile, desktop, and smartwatches, with features like encrypted messaging for enhanced privacy.

Highlights
  • Free voice and video calls
  • Messaging with stickers and emojis
  • Cross-platform compatibility (mobile, desktop, smartwatch)
  • Encrypted messaging (Letter Sealing)
  • Keep Memo for temporary storage
  • Customizable themes
Features
Read full description

LINE is transforming the way people communicate, closing the distance between family, friends, and loved ones—for free. With voice and video calls, messages, and a limitless variety of exciting stickers, you’ll be able to express yourself in ways that you never thought possible. Available all around the world on mobile, desktop, and Apple Watch, the LINE platform continues to grow, always offering new services and features that make your life more fun and convenient. ◆ Messages, Voice calls, Video calls. Enjoy voice and video calls and exchanging messages with your LINE friends. ◆ LINE stickers, emojis, and themes Express yourself just the way you want with stickers and emojis. Also, find your favorite themes to customize your LINE app. ◆ Home Gives you easy access to your friends list, birthdays, the sticker shop and various services and contents offered by LINE. ◆ Seamless connection on mobile, Apple Watch, and desktop Chat anytime and anywhere. Whether you’re on the go or working at the office or remotely, use LINE via your iPhone, Apple Watch, or desktop. ◆ Store your personal information with Keep Memo My own chatroom to temporarily store messages, photos, and videos. ◆ Messages protected with Letter Sealing Letter Sealing encrypts your messages, call history and location information. Always be assured of your privacy when using LINE. *We recommend using a data plan or connecting to Wi-Fi as you may incur data usage fees otherwise. *Please check the recommended specifications from LINE settings > “Help center” > “LINE usage environment/Settings” > "System requirements for LINE” when installing/updating the LINE app. In addition, if you're using an old version of iOS, we recommend updating it to the latest version. ▼Click here to see how to update your iOS version. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204204 ********** If your network speed is too slow or you don't have enough device storage, LINE may not install properly. If this happens, please check your connection and try again. **********

About

NearHere

See your friends' latest photos and their locations directly on your home screen. Nudge friends to share more pictures with interactive widget buttons. Stay connected and updated on your closest friends' lives at a glance.

Highlights
  • Home screen widget for friends' photos
  • Real-time location updates
  • Interactive nudge buttons
  • Friend photo updates on unlock
  • Add multiple friends
Features
Read full description

"The moment I unlock my phone, I know you'll be there." “NearHere” lets you keep track of your friends’ photos and where they are right on your home screen widget! You can even tap buttons on the widget to nudge your friends for more photos! How it Works: 1. Add at least one friend 2. As soon as your friends post new photos, you'll see them right on your home screen! 3. Tap buttons on the widget to see where your friends are and encourage everyone to update their photos!

Screenshots

LINE4 screens
NearHere3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: NearHere at 5.0 against LINE's 3.2. NearHere also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). LINE's advantage is ratings volume (19K vs 3) and chart position (#31 vs unranked). On price 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. LINE sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. NearHere asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NearHere holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: LINE has 19K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of LINE's written reviews are positive against 50% of NearHere's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

LINE ships an update every 9 days, NearHere daily. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
LINE versus NearHere: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLINENearHere
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (19K ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews23.5% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings19K — better3
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysDaily — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#31 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.016.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size405 MB13 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperLINE CorporationNingbo If Technology Co.,Ltd

Customer experience

LINE

All ratings18,577 ratings
Positive50.8%
Neutral9.4%
Negative39.7%
Written reviews2,862 reviews
Positive23.5%
Neutral7.8%
Negative68.7%

NearHere

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

Bugs and requests

LINE

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Unable to log in or sign up
  • Messages not sending or receiving
  • Notifications not working properly
  • App crashing after updates
  • Incompatibility with new devices and OS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • See who is online and typing
  • Ability to translate messages
  • Automatic chat history backup and sync
  • Easier sticker management and organization
  • More ways to earn free stickers and points

NearHere

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

LINE

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Plan1 Month trial2 variants$4.991 Month
One-time8
  • 50 LINE Coin$0.99
  • 70 LINE Coin$1.39
  • 100 LINE Coin$1.99
Show 5 more
  • 150 LINE Coin$2.99
  • 200 LINE Coin$3.99
  • 500 LINE Coin$7.99
  • 800 LINE Coin$11.99
  • 1600 LINE Coin$22.99
None

NearHere

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is LINE free?
LINE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NearHere free?
NearHere is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, LINE or NearHere?
NearHere is rated higher. LINE averages 3.2 out of 5 from 19K ratings, while NearHere averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do LINE or NearHere have ads?
LINE shows ads; NearHere does not.
Which is updated more often, LINE or NearHere?
LINE ships an update every 9 days, and NearHere daily. Most recently, LINE was updated on November 11, 2026 and NearHere on November 3, 2026.

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