# Pinger vs BK

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BK at none against Pinger's 11. BK also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). Pinger's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 months). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pinger sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. BK asks for nothing beyond the download.

Pinger ships an update every 8 days, BK every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pinger | BK |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (71K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinger-call-plus-texting-app/id444741112/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **71K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 223 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pinger, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/299102705) | [Balancika](https://appshunter.io/developer/1275423172) |

## What reviewers say

### Pinger

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

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


### BK

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bk-ess/id6744553581)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pinger free?

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

### Is BK free?

BK is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Pinger or BK have ads?

Pinger shows ads; BK does not.

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

Pinger ships an update every 8 days, and BK every 2 months. Most recently, Pinger was updated on November 1, 2026 and BK on October 28, 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.*