# Paltalk vs cauldy

The clearest difference is rating: cauldy at 5.0 against Paltalk's 4.3. cauldy also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 39%). Paltalk's advantage is ratings volume (15K vs 11) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Paltalk sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month and cauldy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

cauldy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Paltalk has 15K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Paltalk's written reviews are positive against 71% of cauldy's.

Paltalk ships an update fortnightly, cauldy every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Paltalk | cauldy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (15K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paltalk-live-chat-rooms/id466970942/reviews) | **[5.0 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cauldy/id1668340510/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **15K** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | 39.2% of reviews | **71.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 286 MB | 171 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Paltalk US LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1805155941) | [btw LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1668340512) |

## What reviewers say

### Paltalk

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paltalk-live-chat-rooms/id466970942)

Connect with people worldwide in live, topic-based chat rooms. Engage in group video, voice, or text conversations on shared interests. Create your own rooms and participate in a safe, moderated community.

**Highlights:** Live topic-based chat rooms, Group video, voice, and text chat, Thousands of active rooms, Real-time moderation and safety tools, Create your own chat room, Virtual gifts and recognition, Cross-platform access (desktop/mobile)

**Features:** iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Extreme Monthly | $11.99 | per month |
| Extreme Monthly | $11.99 | per month |
| VIP Monthly | $21.99 | per month |
| Prime Monthly | $54.99 | per month |
| Level 1 Virtual Gift | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 15 Credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 50 Credits | $2.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 100 Credits | $4.99 | one-time |
| month of Extreme | $9.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 500 Credits | $19.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 1500 Credits | $49.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 7000 Credits | $99.99 | one-time |
| Pack of 3500 Credits | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fun upgrade from Yahoo model
- 👍 Great app for chatting
- 🚀 Interesting with different types of people
- 👍 Unique opportunity to meet people

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Constant connection issues and dropouts
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable app
- 🤬 Overrun with trolls and hackers
- 🤬 Rooms inciting hatred and division
- 🤬 Abusive and immature users

**Reported bugs**

- Camera issues after iOS updates
- Audio cutting out frequently
- Conversation history disappearing
- Inability to delete messages or conversations
- Rooms freezing and crashing the app

**Requested features**

- Allow admins to manage rooms from mobile
- Add iPad-optimized layout
- Improve audio/video quality and stability
- Implement better user blocking/muting tools
- Provide more customization options


### cauldy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cauldy/id1668340510)

Engage in open and safe discussions on debatable topics with like-minded individuals. Offers private shadowing, instant blocking, and reporting for a controlled social experience. Discover trending content and join chat rooms for meaningful conversations.

**Highlights:** Private shadowing and user blocking, Customizable notifications, Personalized content feed, Real-time trending posts, Join chat rooms for discussions, Report suspicious activity

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SpyCauldy | $3.99 | per month |
| SpyCauldy | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Paltalk free?

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

### Is cauldy free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Paltalk or cauldy?

cauldy is rated higher. Paltalk averages 4.3 out of 5 from 15K ratings, while cauldy averages 5.0 from 11 ratings.

### Do Paltalk or cauldy have ads?

Both Paltalk and cauldy show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Paltalk or cauldy?

Paltalk ships an update fortnightly, and cauldy every 6 weeks. Most recently, Paltalk was updated on November 1, 2026 and cauldy on October 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.*