# theCHIVE vs Flashy Social

theCHIVE and Flashy Social both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 66% of Flashy Social's written reviews are positive against 21% of theCHIVE's. Flashy Social also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3). theCHIVE's advantage is ratings volume (168K vs 30K). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. theCHIVE sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Flashy Social asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for theCHIVE against 4.7 for Flashy Social. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: theCHIVE has 168K ratings behind it against 30K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 21% of theCHIVE's written reviews are positive against 66% of Flashy Social's.

theCHIVE ships an update every 4 weeks, Flashy Social every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | theCHIVE | Flashy Social |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (168K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thechive/id448999087/reviews) | **[4.7 (30K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flashy-social/id1215058822/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **168K** | 30K |
| Positive reviews | 21.0% of reviews | **66.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 45 MB | 54 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Chive Media Group, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/448999090) | [StoryFire, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1215058821) |

## What reviewers say

### theCHIVE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thechive/id448999087)

Discover a daily stream of amusing photos and videos curated for lighthearted entertainment. This app offers a unique blend of humor, visually appealing content, and heartwarming stories, providing a happy escape from daily life without politics or news.

**Highlights:** Daily dose of amusing photos and videos, Mix of humor, hotness, and humanity, Happy escape content, No politics or snarky humor, No news, purely entertainment

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support | $4.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast content loading
- 👍 Great community and charity work
- 🚀 Smooth user experience (before recent updates)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 💸 Excessive and intrusive ads
- 🔍 Declining content quality and curation

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes and freezes
- Redirects to App Store or other sites
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Reduce ads or offer ad-free option
- Improve app stability and performance
- Restore previous app functionality


### Flashy Social

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flashy-social/id1215058822)

Discover and create written stories and videos within a vibrant community. Grow your audience with creator spotlights and promotions, and connect with fellow creatives by building stories together or interacting on your social feed.

**Highlights:** Watch written stories and videos, Create solo or group stories, Post videos after application, Grow audience with subscribers, Creator Spotlight and promotions, Connect with community members

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🔥 Great app for storytelling and video content
- 👥 Supportive and friendly community
- 💰 Ability to earn in-app currency (Blaze)
- 🎨 Creative freedom for creators

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and glitches
- 📺 Issues with video playback and ads
- 🔒 Account and login problems
- 🔍 Navigation and discoverability needs improvement

**Reported bugs**

- Notifications not working
- Automatic logout issues
- Inability to move/reorder episodes in a series
- Inconsistent UI elements and layout

**Requested features**

- Expand character limit for stories
- Add ability to add images and media to stories
- Improve video upload and monetization options
- Implement better search and discovery features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is theCHIVE free?

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

### Is Flashy Social free?

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

### Which has better reviews, theCHIVE or Flashy Social?

Flashy Social is rated higher. theCHIVE averages 4.6 out of 5 from 168K ratings, while Flashy Social averages 4.7 from 30K ratings.

### Do theCHIVE or Flashy Social have ads?

Both theCHIVE and Flashy Social show ads.

### Which is updated more often, theCHIVE or Flashy Social?

theCHIVE ships an update every 4 weeks, and Flashy Social every 2 weeks. Most recently, theCHIVE was updated on October 29, 2026 and Flashy Social 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.*