Comparison

Throwback by Loop vs best friends.

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

Head to head
About

Throwback by Loop

This app offers a weekly dose of nostalgia, prompting users to share childhood and teenage photos every Thursday. Outside of Thursdays, users can connect with friends and send anonymous 'Boosts'.

Highlights
  • Weekly photo prompts
  • Share childhood memories
  • Send anonymous 'Boosts'
  • Connect with friends
  • Nostalgia-focused feed
Features
Read full description

Throwback is your new weekly dose of nostalgia. Are you tired of the same old Instagram feed filled with influencers and their #sponsored posts? Well, Throwback is here to take you back to a simpler time when the only thing you had to worry about was what to wear to your friend's Sweet 16. But here's the catch: Throwback is only open for business on Thursdays. Not kidding. If you're looking for more daily doom scrolling, look elsewhere. Don't worry, the rest of the week you can still add friends, and even send your friends uplifting 'Boosts' (anonymous push notifications to brighten their day!). Each Thursday, we give you a new prompt to take you down memory lane and post pictures of your childhood, those awkward teenage years, or that one time you wore overalls unironically. With Throwback, you'll finally have an excuse to dig through your old photo albums and relive the good old days. So, mark your calendars and get ready to throw it back with us every Thursday. (But don't blame us if your mom starts calling you more often because you're posting pictures of her haircuts from the 90s.) ---------- App made by humans who are always looking for feedback (follow us on Twitter @loopsocialinc), description made by AI which doesn't much care, don't @ us if it's cheesy.

About

best friends.

This app offers a private social space for close friends to share daily journal entries and life updates. It focuses on genuine connection and mental well-being through shared thoughts, moving away from traditional social media feeds.

Highlights
  • Daily journal prompts
  • Life updates with various types
  • 200+ custom reactions
  • Direct comments on entries
  • Granular privacy controls
  • Journaling streak tracking
  • Friends-only feed
Features
Read full description

We've been doomscrolling for way too long. The Best Friends app is different. Let's get back to what made the internet awesome, our friends. Best Friends is social media you can feel good about using. Learn something new about your friends every day. Every day, a new journal prompt drops. Take two minutes, write your little entry, and post it. Only your best friends see it. That's it. No feed of strangers. No performative posts. Just your people, being real. You can think of it as a daily mental health journal but instead of writing into the nether, your friends are writing too. You open the app, read what your best friends actually think and feel, and suddenly everyone's way more connected. It's the best friends app for people who are tired of fake internet. It's a friendship journal where you and your closest people share real thoughts, not just performative content. ~~~~~ Why You'll Love Best Friends: Daily Journal Prompts – a fresh prompt every single day. Answer it, post it, see what your friends said. Two minutes, zero pressure. Life Updates – not every day fits a prompt. Drop a Photo Dump, Random Thought, Fitness Milestone, Relationship Update, or 20+ other Life Update types whenever you want. 200+ Reactions – hearts, flames, stickers, animals, food — react to your friends' journals with way more than a like button. Comments – actually talk to your friends about what they wrote. Wild concept. Privacy You Control – post to all friends, only yourself, or exclude specific people. Your journal, your rules. Streaks – track your journaling streak and share it. Consistency looks good on you. Friends Only – no randos, no influencers, no brands. Your feed is exclusively people you actually know and care about. Your Mental Health Journal – daily journaling is proven to reduce stress and boost self-awareness. Best Friends makes it social, easy, and something you'll actually stick with. ~~~~~ Best Friends isn't another social media app. It's a friendship journal for your inner circle. No doomscrolling. No algorithm deciding what you see. Just honest thoughts from the people who matter most. Write something real. Read what your best friends are feeling. Repeat tomorrow. That's Best Friends. Goodbye, algorithms. ~~~~~ Website: https://bestfriends.fyi Terms of Service: https://bestfriends.fyi/docs/terms Privacy Policy: https://bestfriends.fyi/docs/privacy

Screenshots

Throwback by Loop4 screens
best friends.4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: best friends. at 26 against Throwback by Loop's 7. On price, rating, review sentiment 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Throwback by Loop against 5.0 for best friends.. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 26 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Throwback by Loop versus best friends.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThrowback by Loopbest friends.
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (7 ratings)5.0 (26 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings726 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size99 MB313 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperLoop Social Inc.Lab of the Lost

Customer experience

Throwback by Loop

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

best friends.

All ratings26 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Throwback by Loop

No in-app purchases

None

best friends.

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Throwback by Loop free?
Throwback by Loop is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is best friends. free?
best friends. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Throwback by Loop or best friends.?
best friends. is rated higher. Throwback by Loop averages 4.9 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while best friends. averages 5.0 from 26 ratings.
Do Throwback by Loop or best friends. have ads?
Neither Throwback by Loop nor best friends. shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Throwback by Loop or best friends.?
Throwback by Loop ships an update weekly, and best friends. weekly. Most recently, Throwback by Loop was updated on September 25, 2026 and best friends. on September 30, 2026.

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