# Pinger vs microbee

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: microbee at none against Pinger's 11. microbee also leads on ads (none vs shown). Pinger's advantage is chart position (#175 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.1). On price, update cadence 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. microbee asks for nothing beyond the download.

Pinger ships an update weekly, microbee fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pinger | microbee |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (70K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinger-call-plus-texting-app/id444741112/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **70K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#175** | — |
| Size | 223 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 18.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pinger, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/299102705) | [Dmytro Ivashyn](https://appshunter.io/developer/1838759937) |

## What reviewers say

### Pinger

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

**Currently charting:** #175 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


### microbee

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/microbee/id6752305197)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pinger free?

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

### Is microbee free?

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

### Do Pinger or microbee have ads?

Pinger shows ads; microbee does not.

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

Pinger ships an update weekly, and microbee fortnightly. Most recently, Pinger was updated on October 18, 2026 and microbee on September 24, 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.*