# Text Me vs Receive SMS

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Text Me at 674K against Receive SMS's 1.1K. Text Me also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and chart position (#10 vs unranked). Receive SMS's advantage is review sentiment (40% vs 29%) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Text Me sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Receive SMS sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Text Me holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Text Me has 674K ratings behind it against 1.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 29% of Text Me's written reviews are positive against 40% of Receive SMS's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Text Me ships an update fortnightly, Receive SMS every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Text Me | Receive SMS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (674K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-me-phone-call-plus-texting/id514485964/reviews)** | [4.4 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/receive-sms-multiple-sim/id1639778516/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **674K** | 1.1K |
| Positive reviews | 29.1% of reviews | **40.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#10** | — |
| Size | 219 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [TextMe, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/307996876) | [Ayoub El Omrani](https://appshunter.io/developer/1326480886) |

## What reviewers say

### Text Me

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/text-me-phone-call-plus-texting/id514485964)

**Currently charting:** #10 Top Grossing · Social Networking, #24 Top Free · Social Networking (US App Store)

This app provides a free second phone number for calling and texting within the US and Canada. Protect your privacy, use it for side projects, or connect with international friends at low costs. It offers features like voicemail and the ability to turn tablets into phones.

**Highlights:** Free calling and texting to US/Canada, Second phone number for privacy, Low-cost international calls, Free voicemail service, Customizable phone numbers, Picture, voice, and video messaging

**Features:** Siri integration, Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Get this phone number | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Get this phone number | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Get this phone number | $6.49 | per month |
| Premium Features | $7.49 | per 7 days |
| Premium Features | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Features | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| 100 TextMe Credits | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great for texting and calling
- 👍 Useful for a second number
- 🌐 Works well on WiFi
- 💡 Allows multiple numbers
- 🔒 Provides privacy and security

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Requires ID verification
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 📢 Too many ads
- 🐛 Unreliable service
- ❌ Numbers frequently expire

**Reported bugs**

- Texts and calls not working
- Account suspension without explanation
- Lost contacts and message history
- Inability to retrieve expired numbers

**Requested features**

- Improve customer support
- Add more free features
- Allow porting of existing numbers
- Provide better call quality


### Receive SMS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/receive-sms-multiple-sim/id1639778516)

Receive SMS messages online using real SIMs and dynamic sender IDs to protect your personal number. Get instant SMS delivery and temporary email addresses for anonymous online access.

**Highlights:** Receive SMS online, Hide personal phone number, Instant SMS delivery, Temporary email addresses, Fake identity generator, SSN validator

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Version | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good app
- 💡 Useful for getting codes

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Numbers don't work
- 🐛 Can't receive messages
- 🔋 Bloated with ads
- 💰 Forces you to pay

**Reported bugs**

- Numbers are invalid
- Verification codes not received
- App crashes and freezes

**Requested features**

- Add chat functionality
- Improve verification process


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Text Me free?

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

### Is Receive SMS free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Text Me or Receive SMS?

Text Me is rated higher. Text Me averages 4.7 out of 5 from 674K ratings, while Receive SMS averages 4.4 from 1.1K ratings.

### Do Text Me or Receive SMS have ads?

Both Text Me and Receive SMS show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Text Me or Receive SMS?

Text Me ships an update fortnightly, and Receive SMS every 3 weeks. Most recently, Text Me was updated on September 27, 2026 and Receive SMS on September 25, 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.*