# Pal Chat vs 3sparks Chat

The clearest difference is price: Pal Chat at Free against 3sparks Chat's $5.99. Pal Chat also leads on ratings volume (437 vs 29) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.6). 3sparks Chat's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (68% vs 59%). On rating, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Pal Chat is free to download; 3sparks Chat costs $5.99 up front. Pal Chat sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. 3sparks Chat asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Pal Chat against 4.2 for 3sparks Chat. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pal Chat has 437 ratings behind it against 29, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 59% of Pal Chat's written reviews are positive against 68% of 3sparks Chat's.

Pal Chat ships an update every 3 weeks, 3sparks Chat fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pal Chat | 3sparks Chat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $5.99 |
| Rating | **[4.3 (437 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pal-chat-ai-chat-client/id6447545085/reviews)** | [4.2 (29 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/3sparks-chat/id6736871168/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **437** | 29 |
| Positive reviews | 59.0% of reviews | **68.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 104 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pulkit Agarwal](https://appshunter.io/developer/1723503441) | [3sparks Labs LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1689216503) |

## What reviewers say

### Pal Chat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pal-chat-ai-chat-client/id6447545085)

This app acts as a universal AI chat client, supporting a wide range of models and features like image input, image generation, and offline capabilities. It offers a private and secure experience with no data collection and no ads.

**Highlights:** Supports all major AI models, Image input and generation, Offline local model support, Save prompts and history, Stream responses, Full Markdown and LaTeX support

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pal Chat Pro | $6.99 | per month |
| Pal Chat Pro Annual | $68.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent app design
- 🔒 Allows use of own API keys
- 👍 Customizable prompts and instructions
- 🚀 Efficient token usage tracking
- 👍 Responsive developer

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes with OpenRouter models
- 🐛 Keyboard lag and UI issues
- 💰 Subscription model for previously free features
- 🐛 Rendering issues with mathematical formulas
- 🐛 Inconsistent UI indicators for model outputs

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to change AI provider
- Freezing on long responses
- Unavailability of certain models (e.g., GPT-4o-mini)

**Requested features**

- Conversation history search
- Support for local/self-hosted models
- Multimodal support (vision, audio)
- Ability to edit/delete messages in conversation
- Dynamic model listing from providers


### 3sparks Chat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/3sparks-chat/id6736871168)

This AI chat client allows you to connect with local and cloud-based language models. It offers features like image and file support, a web content reader, and a home screen widget for quick chat initiation. The integrated AI keyboard helps refine your writing in any application.

**Highlights:** Connect to local and cloud AI models, Image and file upload support, Web content reader, Home screen widget, Share extension, AI Keyboard Extension for rewriting, Customizable prompts and tone

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🚀 Works great with local LM Studio/Ollama
- 💡 Image enablement appreciated
- 💡 Saving and using system prompts
- 💡 Good value for money (one-time purchase)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App freezes and locks up during chats
- 🐛 Updates break functionality
- 🐛 Cannot cancel subscription/no in-app cancellation
- 🐛 Does not work in prohibited countries without VPN
- 🐛 Timeouts make it unusable

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes and locks up during chats
- Updates break functionality
- LLM stops responding after a few messages
- Chat history stops loading
- Timeouts make it unusable

**Requested features**

- German language and keyboard layout
- Audio input for prompting
- Set default per connection (token limit, etc.)
- Enable Search grounding for Gemini models
- iOS Live Activity for running queries


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pal Chat free?

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

### Is 3sparks Chat free?

3sparks Chat costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Pal Chat or 3sparks Chat?

Pal Chat is rated higher. Pal Chat averages 4.3 out of 5 from 437 ratings, while 3sparks Chat averages 4.2 from 29 ratings.

### Do Pal Chat or 3sparks Chat have ads?

Neither Pal Chat nor 3sparks Chat shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pal Chat or 3sparks Chat?

Pal Chat ships an update every 3 weeks, and 3sparks Chat fortnightly. Most recently, Pal Chat was updated on October 30, 2026 and 3sparks Chat on October 30, 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.*