Comparison

Pinger vs magicApp Calling & Messaging

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

Head to head
About

Pinger

This app provides a free U.S. phone number for unlimited calling and texting to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. It offers features like voicemail, group chat, and MMS messaging, functioning as a reliable alternative to a traditional phone line.

Highlights
  • Free U.S. phone number
  • Unlimited calling
  • Free texting (SMS)
  • Voicemail
  • Group chat
  • MMS picture & video messaging
Features
Read full description

Make free calls with a real U.S.phone number on the original free calling and texting app. Pinger comes preloaded with free calling minutes that can be used to call anyone in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico. After that, minutes are free to earn or cheap to purchase. SMS messages are also free. On top of free calling and SMS, additional features include voicemail, group chat, MMS picture & video messaging, emoji, ringtones, and more. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING “It’s like having a real phone number from the carrier. Except FREE.” –Nick “I started using this app back in 2007 on my iPod touch 3rd generation... Works every time, voice calls are clear, and no one knows it’s an app and not an actual phone. Highly recommended.” –Scott “I have used this app as my main phone number for years. It is just as reliable as an actual phone number.” –Kay “I’ve tried several, but hands down, Pinger is by far the best. Why? Simple: It works. Period.” –Tuc “I would rate this like 100,000,000 stars but can’t :/ only 5.” –Molly “Great to have a backup number especially when you travel abroad.” –Milo —— © 2020 Pinger, Inc. All rights reserved. The Pinger name, associated trademarks, and logos are trademarks of Pinger, Inc. or related entities. Terms of Service: https://www.pinger.com/privacy-policy/terms-and-conditions/ Privacy Policy: https://www.pinger.com/privacy-policy/ Subscriptions are automatically billed monthly or annually to your iTunes Account and auto-renew unless you turn off auto-renew at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Payments are charged to your iTunes account upon confirmation of purchase. You can turn off auto-renew or manage subscriptions in your iTunes & App Store account settings. Cancellations take effect at the end of the active subscription period. Any unused portion of a free trial period (where available) is forfeited when purchasing a subscription.

About

magicApp Calling & Messaging

Get a second phone number for personal or business use without needing a new SIM card. Enjoy unlimited calling and texting to the U.S. and Canada, even while traveling abroad over Wi-Fi. Manage calls with features like caller ID, voicemail, and call blocking.

Highlights
  • Second phone number
  • Unlimited U.S. & Canada calling
  • Unlimited U.S. & Canada texting
  • Wi-Fi calling for travel
  • Caller ID, voicemail, call blocking
  • Choose U.S. area code
Read full description

magicApp is the most affordable & simple way to get a second phone number on your mobile phone. You can use your magicApp second line for your personal or business needs and enjoy unlimited calling and texting to the U.S. and Canada. magicApp makes it possible to have different phone numbers without having to switch out your SIM and at an affordable monthly. You can easily AND quickly switch from your magicApp phone number to your actual phone number. MAGICAPP FEATURES * Choose a U.S. phone number from any available area code * Unlimited calling to the U.S and Canada* * Send or receive unlimited text messages to U.S. and Canadian numbers** * Traveling? Make calls over Wi-Fi so you never have to worry about roaming charges when abroad! * Unlimited calling to other magicJack customer worldwide * Caller ID, voicemail, call blocking, block anonymous callers and call forwarding * Caller ID pulled from your mobile phone contact list, so you always know who is calling * Cheaper than the rest of the apps out there AND AD FREE! EXISITNG MAGICJACK DEVICE CUSTOMER? magicJack customers can enjoy texting to any U.S. or Canadian number** using magicApp - your friends & family don't have to download the app to text! Calls to your magicJack number rings on your smartphone at the same time so you never miss a call. Download now and login to magicApp with your existing magicJack email and password to make and receive calls over Wi-Fi. NEW: Now available to magicJack device customers with Canadian numbers, you can add the option to text with your Canadian phone number for a small annual fee through the app store. TURN YOUR IPAD INTO A PHONE Connect your tablet to the internet, download magicApp and start making calls from your iPad. Use magicApp on devices running iOS14 or higher. Find out more on www.magicJack.com *Texting to international numbers is not available and texts to some US mobile numbers may not be delivered. Unlimited calling to numbers within the United States and Canada, and unlimited texting and other services provided by magicJack®, are based on normal, non-excessive use. A combination of factors is used to determine excessive use, including but not limited to the relative use when compared to the average magicJack® user, the number of unique numbers called, calls forwarded, minutes used, texts sent/received and other factors. Unlimited calling does not include calls to Alaska or the Yukon and Northwest Territories of Canada or calls to non-8YY calling card, platform, conference, or chat lines, for which additional fees will apply. Subject to our Subscriber Agreement located here: http://www.magicjack.com/action/saps/. **Canadian magicJack numbers require a separate subscription for texting.

Screenshots

Pinger4 screens
magicApp Calling & Messaging4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: magicApp Calling & Messaging at none against Pinger's shown. Pinger's advantage is chart position (#163 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Pinger sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and magicApp Calling & Messaging sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Pinger against 4.7 for magicApp Calling & Messaging. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 71K and 26K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Pinger's written reviews are positive against 49% of magicApp Calling & Messaging's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pinger ships an update every 8 days, magicApp Calling & Messaging fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Pinger versus magicApp Calling & Messaging: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPingermagicApp Calling & Messaging
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (71K ratings) — better4.7 (26K ratings)
Positive reviews50.2% of reviews — better49.1% of reviews
Number of ratings71K — better26K
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#163 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size223 MB67 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperPinger, Inc.MAGICJACK VOIP SERVICES LLC

Customer experience

Pinger

All ratings70,541 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral3.1%
Negative5.8%
Written reviews333 reviews
Positive50.2%
Neutral7.2%
Negative42.6%

magicApp Calling & Messaging

All ratings25,677 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral1.8%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews446 reviews
Positive49.1%
Neutral8.1%
Negative42.8%

User reviews

Pinger

From 71K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great app
  • 👍 Simple and functional
  • 👍 Good app
  • 👍 Works pretty good
  • 👍 Great service, user friendly

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Constantly lock your account due to supposed shady activity
  • 💰 You have to pay $10 a month to receive SMS from apps
  • 🐛 Does not even let you create an account
  • 🔍 Why so many ads since last update??!
  • 🐛 Issues with Pinger

magicApp Calling & Messaging

From 26K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💯 Excellent call quality
  • 💰 Affordable pricing
  • 🌍 Works internationally
  • 🔍 Useful for maintaining a US number
  • 🤖 Reliable service for over 15 years

Room to improve

  • 🤖 Frequent app crashes and bugs
  • 🤖 Unreliable connectivity issues
  • 🤖 Poor customer support
  • 🤖 Deactivation of accounts without notice
  • 🤖 Inability to transfer or port out numbers

Bugs and requests

Pinger

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Constantly lock your account due to supposed shady activity
  • Does not even let you create an account
  • Microphone doesn't work, can't hear me on calls
  • Inconsistent, can't make calls sometimes
  • Not dependable, messages don't go through

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to receive verification codes
  • Option to turn off sounds/notifications
  • Fix for not being able to send more than one picture at a time

magicApp Calling & Messaging

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App freezes phone when answering calls
  • Missed calls not showing up in the app
  • Text messages getting deleted or out of order
  • Inability to log in or access account
  • Subscription issues and billing problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for MMS and texts from short codes
  • Implement two-factor authentication for security
  • Allow users to sign in on multiple devices
  • Provide more ringtone options
  • Improve integration with native iOS features

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Pinger

Subscriptions8
  • Remove Ads$2.991 Month
  • Voicemail to Text$2.991 Month
  • Pinger Plus Weekly$4.997 Days
Show 5 more
  • Pinger Plan$4.991 Month
  • Pinger Plus Weekly$6.997 Days
  • Pinger Plus Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Pinger Plus Half Yearly$39.996 Months
  • Pinger Plus Yearly$69.991 Year
One-time3
  • 100 minutes$1.99
  • 400 minutes$9.99
  • 1000 minutes$18.99
12 purchases

magicApp Calling & Messaging

Subscriptions5
  • Incoming-only calls + texting$3.491 Month
  • Outgoing-only calls + texting$3.491 Month
  • Incoming and Outgoing calls$3.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • magicJack Premium$4.991 Month
  • magicJack Canadian$5.991 Month
One-time7
  • $4.99 magicJack International minutes credit$4.99
  • SMS for Canadian Numbers$4.99
  • Texting and SMS upgrade$9.99
Show 4 more
  • $9.99 magicJack International minutes credit$9.99
  • $20.00 magicJack International minutes credit$19.99
  • $19.99 magicJack International minutes credit$19.99
  • $40.00 magicJack International minutes credit$39.99

Questions

Is Pinger free?
Pinger is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is magicApp Calling & Messaging free?
magicApp Calling & Messaging is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pinger or magicApp Calling & Messaging?
Pinger is rated higher. Pinger averages 4.7 out of 5 from 71K ratings, while magicApp Calling & Messaging averages 4.7 from 26K ratings.
Do Pinger or magicApp Calling & Messaging have ads?
Pinger shows ads; magicApp Calling & Messaging does not.
Which is updated more often, Pinger or magicApp Calling & Messaging?
Pinger ships an update every 8 days, and magicApp Calling & Messaging fortnightly. Most recently, Pinger was updated on October 24, 2026 and magicApp Calling & Messaging on October 24, 2026.

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