Cluster vs Carrier Messaging
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cluster
Create private groups to share photos and videos with specific people. Ideal for families, friends, or colleagues to share moments securely without broadcasting to a wider audience. Access your shared memories across mobile devices and the web.
- Create private sharing groups
- Share photos and videos
- Invite specific members
- Web and mobile access
- Relevant notifications
- Secure and private sharing
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* Featured as “New and Noteworthy” by Apple * Cluster makes it possible to create private groups where you share moments through photos and videos with the people you care about. Create a group with family, a group of friends, coworkers, people from your home town, or anyone else! Great for: • New Moms! Share photos of a new baby with close friends and family without spamming everyone on other social networks • College Students! Share memories with friends not appropriate for Facebook • Families! Keep in touch even if you’re not in the same place. Tons of people already trust Cluster. Here’s why: • Private & secure: Only invited members of the group can see what you post. • An app for everyone: Access Cluster through gorgeous mobile apps and the web. • Relevant notifications: Know when people you invited post new things to the group. How it works: 1. Create a group. 2. Add the people you care about. 3. Share photos, videos and notes together. People LOVE Cluster: • “The app is fantastic! Me and my sister were so happy to find it. We made a group of the whole family and its great. My big brother is living in Europe, my sister traveling for the next 4 months and the rest of the family lives in Chile. They upload pictures and we can see how and what they are doing. Its very simple to use (even our grandmother is in the group!).” • “I downloaded 10 different photo sharing apps, not including your Cluster app. I needed an app that allowed the creation of multiple albums, other users could join from anywhere, was password protected and SIMPLE. I deleted every app except your Cluster app. All the other apps were either too difficult to explain...to someone 8 hours away, too complicated to set up and/or upload, they limited the number of albums a user can create, required Bluetooth or wifi to share, or required a social media account to set up. Your app served all the purposes that I need. It is great, fabulous, fun & simple! Keep up the good work!” • “I really like the privacy of the app and the fact that only people invited or with the code can access our pictures.” • “I want to thank you all for such a wonderful product - it really has brought us all even closer together. The constant banter, the photo streams, the comedy...all of it...it's been awesome. So, as far as my feedback goes, I'd say this is an awesome program and we'll continue using it for as long as it's available!” The press LOVES Cluster: • Featured by the Apple App Store (“New and Noteworthy”), NYTimes, TechCrunch and many more! Cluster Club is a monthly or annual subscription to give admins more control over their groups. Check it out by visiting the Settings → Subscription Settings section of the app. By purchasing a subscription you agree to Cluster's Terms of Use: https://cluster.co/terms/ and Privacy Policy: https://cluster.co/privacy/
Carrier Messaging
Schedule text messages to be sent at a future date and time. The app sends you a notification when it's time to send, requiring you to manually confirm. It integrates with your existing messaging app and contacts.
- Schedule messages for future delivery
- Manual send confirmation via notification
- Integrates with built-in Messages app
- Contact integration for easy recipient selection
- Group messaging support
- Dark theme option
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Carrier is the best way to schedule messages. **Note:** For your privacy, it is not possible to send messages on your behalf without you taking action. You have to push send when you get the notification. Don't forget! ## Why I created this Asking Siri to remind you to send someone a message only helps if you can remember what you wanted to say. After forgetting one too many times to send an important message, I decided to make an app to help me out. Now I can write and schedule the message when I think of it and send it at just the right time. ## How it works Just as when sending a regular text message, you select a person and write your message. Then you choose the date and time for the message to send. When the time comes, you will get a notification that will allow you to send the message. It integrates with the built-in Messages app, so it comes from you in your normal conversations. ## Contacts If you choose to give Carrier access to your contacts, it is effortless to select a recipient for your message. Rest assured that your contacts are not harvested or shared with anyone—it just makes your life easier. If you do not give access, you can still select a recipient. ## Groups When you choose multiple recipients for a message, you will be prompted to create a group to make it easier to message those people again. You can manage your groups in Settings at any time. ## Dark theme A gorgeous dark theme makes writing and scheduling messages in low light easy on your eyes. And with automatic switching from light to dark themes, you can always have the best experience for the moment. ## Pro upgrade Carrier is free to use for a limited number of messages each month. When you upgrade to Carrier Pro, you will unlock unlimited messages, the ability to use your voice to create and schedule messages, and help support continued development. Thanks! ## Family project As I have worked on this app, my kids have contributed lots of ideas for features. My eleven-year-old daughter thought of many of the Easter eggs, and hopes you will enjoy finding them. We hope this will be as much help for you as it has been for us! -Ben
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Cluster at 4.8 against Carrier Messaging's 4.0. Cluster also leads on ratings volume (22K vs 186) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Cluster sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Carrier Messaging sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Cluster holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cluster has 22K ratings behind it against 186, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Cluster's written reviews are positive against 48% of Carrier Messaging's.
Cluster ships an update every 2 months, Carrier Messaging every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cluster | Carrier Messaging |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (22K ratings) — better | 4.0 (186 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 56.6% of reviews — better | 47.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 22K — better | 186 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 14.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 35 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Cluster Labs, Inc. | BSN Design LLC |
Customer experience
Cluster
Carrier Messaging
User reviews
Cluster
From 22K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Great for sharing photos and videos
- 🔒 Allows private sharing with selected groups
- 💡 Helpful for keeping family connected
- 👍 Simple and effective interface
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Issues with photo/video uploads
- 🐛 Unreliable notifications
- 🐛 Glitchy performance after updates
- 🔍 Lack of search and organization features
Carrier Messaging
From 186 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Helpful for remembering messages
- 👍 Simplifies communication
- 👍 Good for late-night thoughts
- 👍 Useful for reminders
- 👍 Supports group messaging
Room to improve
- 😞 Does not automatically send
- 😞 Requires manual sending
- 😞 Deceptive description
- 😞 Not a true scheduler
- 😞 Upgrade button not working
Bugs and requests
Cluster
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashes on launch for some users
- Photos and videos fail to upload consistently
- Notification issues - not receiving updates
- Compatibility problems with newer Android devices
- Unexpected errors when trying to access accounts
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to edit/delete posts
- Improve photo/video upload reliability
- Implement better notification system
- Add option to create galleries/albums within groups
- Enhance search and filtering capabilities
Carrier Messaging
Reported bugs
6 issues- Scheduled texts never sent
- Upgrade button not working
- Usage counts incorrect in free version
- Notifications not sent
- Delayed message sent immediately
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- Glitchy delivery
Requested features
5 requests- Schedule recurring messages (weekly, monthly)
- Attach photos to messages
- Select all button for groups
- Recurring reminders until sent
- Save groups as a selectable option
In-app purchases
Cluster
- Cluster Friend$4.991 Month
- Cluster Family$9.991 Month
- Cluster Pro$19.991 Month
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- Cluster Friend$49.991 Year
- Cluster Family$99.991 Year
- Cluster Pro$199.991 Year
Carrier Messaging
- Pro Upgrade$9.99









