# Pinger vs Ring4

The clearest difference is ads: Ring4 at none against Pinger's shown. Ring4 also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). Pinger's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (71K vs 2.9K). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pinger sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Ring4 sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pinger holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pinger has 71K ratings behind it against 2.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Pinger's written reviews are positive against 57% of Ring4's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Pinger ships an update every 8 days, Ring4 monthly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pinger | Ring4 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (71K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinger-call-plus-texting-app/id444741112/reviews)** | [4.4 (2.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ring4-second-phone-number/id594763296/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **71K** | 2.9K |
| Positive reviews | 50.2% of reviews | **56.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#173** | — |
| Size | 223 MB | 105 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pinger, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/299102705) | [Ring4, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/554514869) |

## What reviewers say

### Pinger

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinger-call-plus-texting-app/id444741112)

**Currently charting:** #173 Top Grossing · Utilities (US App Store)

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:** Siri integration

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | per month |
| Voicemail to Text | $2.99 | per month |
| Pinger Plus Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Pinger Plan | $4.99 | per month |
| Pinger Plus Weekly | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Pinger Plus Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Pinger Plus Half Yearly | $39.99 | per 6 months |
| Pinger Plus Yearly | $69.99 | per year |
| 100 minutes | $1.99 | one-time |
| 400 minutes | $9.99 | one-time |
| 1000 minutes | $18.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Ring4

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ring4-second-phone-number/id594763296)

Create a private second phone line for texting and calling without using your personal number. Ideal for online selling, dating, or business, it offers features like call recording and local area codes.  Avoid roaming charges by calling over Wi-Fi.

**Highlights:** Multiple private phone lines, Call recording, Local area codes, Private video calling, Voicemail, Block unwanted calls

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Talk & Text for French Mobile Phone Number - Line #1 | $9.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Talk & Text for English Mobile Phone Number - Line #1 | $9.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Talk & Text for US/CA Number - Line #1 | $9.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Talk & Text for US/CA Number - Line #2 | $9.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Talk & Text for US/CA Number - Line #3 | $9.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Talk & Text for US/CA Selected Number - Line #1 | $14.99 | per month |
| Package of 10 credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| Package of 40 credits | $3.99 | one-time |
| Package of 100 credits | $8.99 | one-time |
| Package of 250 credits | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great service
- 🚀 Cheap and affordable
- 🚀 Efficient connectivity
- 👍 Excellent app for business and staying in touch

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Accounts suspended under false terms
- 🐛 Unreliable service, unable to make calls or send texts
- 🐛 Deceptive pricing and hidden fees
- 🐛 Poor customer support and unresponsive

**Reported bugs**

- Accounts being limited or disabled for no reason
- Credits not being properly credited
- Inability to generate new numbers
- Frequent app crashes and service interruptions

**Requested features**

- Ability to port numbers away from the app
- Improve text messaging functionality
- Provide a free trial period


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pinger free?

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

### Is Ring4 free?

Ring4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pinger or Ring4?

Pinger is rated higher. Pinger averages 4.7 out of 5 from 71K ratings, while Ring4 averages 4.4 from 2.9K ratings.

### Do Pinger or Ring4 have ads?

Pinger shows ads; Ring4 does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pinger or Ring4?

Pinger ships an update every 8 days, and Ring4 monthly. Most recently, Pinger was updated on October 29, 2026 and Ring4 on October 29, 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.*