Comparison

BiP vs Session

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

BiP

A secure and easy-to-use communication app offering rich messaging, HD voice and video calls, and group chats. It provides features like disappearing messages, instant translations, and emergency alerts.

Highlights
  • Secure encrypted communication
  • HD-quality voice and video calls
  • Disappearing messages
  • Instant translations in over 100 languages
  • Group chats and polls
  • Emergency contact sharing
  • Channels for content discovery
Features
Read full description

What is BiP? BiP is developed by Turkish engineers and being used by millions worldwide, BiP is a reliable and easy-to-use communication app. From rich messaging options to crystal-clear voice and video calls, BiP helps you stay connected with your friends and groups anytime. Do I Need to Pay to Use BiP? BiP is offered free of charge in app stores, and you don’t need to pay any subscription fee to use it. Moreover, thanks to certain operator agreements, you can message, make voice and video calls on BiP without using your mobile data—meaning you can continue communicating seamlessly even if you don’t have a mobile data plan. You can find details of the operators and tariffs that allow you to use BiP without consuming your data at www.bip.com. Discover BiP’s Features! The latest version of BiP offers many practical and fun features designed for seamless, real-time communication. Secure communication: Privacy comes first on BiP: neither BiP nor anyone else can access your chats or calls. All communications are encrypted with the highest international standards, and your data is never saved or passed on to third parties HD-quality calls: Stay connected with high-quality one-on-one and group voice & video calls. Rich messaging features: Enjoy instant messaging with disappearing messages, live location sharing, money transfers, instant translations in over 100 languages, instant video, voice recordings, stickers, and many more fun and useful features. Group chats: You can chat with your friends, family, and communities, and create polls. Reminders: Set one-time or recurring reminders on messages you send to yourself, and BiP will notify you when the time comes. Channels: Discover hundreds of channels that make life easier and offer content tailored to your interests. Status: Share moments from your life with photos and videos. Emergency: In case of an emergency, add your trusted contacts and share with one tap that you’re safe or in need of help, including your location details. If you want to reach us: https://bip.com/tr/ https://www.instagram.com/bip/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Session

A private messenger focused on user data protection through a decentralized network. It offers secure, end-to-end encrypted communication without requiring personal information for account creation. Enjoy private group chats and secure file sharing with no ads or trackers.

Highlights
  • Fully private account creation
  • Decentralized server network
  • No metadata logging
  • IP address protection
  • End-to-end encrypted group chats
  • Secure attachments
Features
Read full description

Session is a new breed of private messenger, built on a unique network of user-operated servers spread all over the world. With no central servers, Session can’t leak or sell your data. And with Session’s private routing protocols, your messages are completely safe. No trackers, no leaks — send messages, not metadata. • Fully private account creation: No phone number or email needed to create an Account ID • Decentralized server network: No data breaches, no central point of failure • No metadata logging: Session doesn't store, track, or log your messaging metadata • IP address protection: Device IP addresses are never exposed to the person you're talking to or the servers holding your data • Closed groups: Private, end-to-end encrypted group chats for up to 100 people • Secure attachments: Share voice snippets, photos, and files with Session's secure encryption and privacy protections • Free and open-source: Don’t take our word for it — check Session's code yourself Session is free as in free speech and free as in free of ads and trackers. It is stewarded by the Session Foundation, a Swiss-based foundation dedicated to advancing digital rights and innovation. Take back your online privacy today — download Session. Want to build from source, report a bug, or just take a look at our code? Check out Session on GitHub: https://github.com/session-foundation/session-ios Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Session Terms of Service: https://getsession.org/terms-of-service

Screenshots

BiP4 screens
Session4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Session at none against BiP's 9. Session also leads on chart position (#104 vs unranked). BiP's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. BiP sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Session asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BiP holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11K and 5.4K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 54% of BiP's written reviews are positive against 61% of Session's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BiP ships an update every 2 weeks, Session fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
BiP versus Session: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBiPSession
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (11K ratings) — better4.4 (5.4K ratings)
Positive reviews54.3% of reviews61.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings11K — better5.4K
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank—#104 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.5 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size317 MB92 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperTurkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S.The Loki Project

Customer experience

BiP

All ratings10,977 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral2.3%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews656 reviews
Positive54.3%
Neutral9.5%
Negative36.3%

Session

All ratings5,406 ratings
Positive84.4%
Neutral4.2%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews1,254 reviews
Positive61.5%
Neutral12.0%
Negative26.6%

User reviews

BiP

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent app
  • 🔒 Secure and private
  • 👍 Great alternative to WhatsApp
  • 👍 Smooth performance
  • 👍 HD call and media quality

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Verification code issues
  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🐛 Slow network performance
  • 🐛 Contacts not syncing properly

Session

From 5.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🔒 Secure and private messaging
  • 👍 Clean and intuitive user interface
  • 🚀 Fast and responsive
  • 🔒 No phone number or personal data required
  • 💡 Innovative use of blockchain and Tor network

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unreliable notifications and message delivery
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🐛 Slow media file transfers
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 👎 Limited features compared to competitors

Bugs and requests

BiP

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unable to receive verification code
  • Temporary account blocks without reason
  • Inability to turn off automatic translation

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add status feature like WhatsApp
  • Improve translation capabilities
  • Support for multiple accounts
  • Integrate with smartwatches

Session

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Messages not syncing across devices
  • Inability to join or view group chats
  • Attachments and media not loading properly
  • Frequent app crashes and freezes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add voice and video calling
  • Implement self-destruct/ephemeral messaging
  • Allow customization of chat backgrounds and themes
  • Improve group chat functionality
  • Add support for multiple accounts/identities

In-app purchases

9 purchases

BiP

One-time9
  • TGA diamond 70$0.99
  • TGA diamond 350$4.99
  • TGA diamond 700$9.99
Show 6 more
  • TGA diamond 1400$19.99
  • TGA diamond 3500$49.99
  • TGA diamond 7000$99.99
  • TGA diamond 10500$99.99
  • TGA diamond 14000$199.99
  • TGA diamond 21000$299.99
None

Session

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BiP free?
BiP is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Session free?
Session is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BiP or Session?
BiP is rated higher. BiP averages 4.7 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while Session averages 4.4 from 5.4K ratings.
Do BiP or Session have ads?
Neither BiP nor Session shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BiP or Session?
BiP ships an update every 2 weeks, and Session fortnightly. Most recently, BiP was updated on November 11, 2026 and Session on November 11, 2026.

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