# Pal Chat vs ReadOS

The clearest difference is rating: ReadOS at 5.0 against Pal Chat's 4.3. ReadOS also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 59%). Pal Chat's advantage is ratings volume (440 vs 8) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pal Chat sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and ReadOS sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReadOS holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pal Chat has 440 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Pal Chat's written reviews are positive against 100% of ReadOS's.

Pal Chat ships an update every 3 weeks, ReadOS monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pal Chat | ReadOS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (440 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pal-chat-ai-chat-client/id6447545085/reviews) | **[5.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reados/id6796672534/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **440** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | 59.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 104 MB | 993 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Pulkit Agarwal](https://appshunter.io/developer/1723503441) | [秀芳 王](https://appshunter.io/developer/1893898139) |

## 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


### ReadOS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reados/id6796672534)

This app is an AI-powered workspace for iPad that helps you read, research, and create. It connects your source materials and project context, allowing you to move seamlessly from understanding to creation. Features include AI summarization, knowledge mapping, and document analysis.

**Highlights:** AI-powered research agent, Contextual reading and note-taking, Knowledge mapping and visualization, Document, spreadsheet, and presentation creation, Web browsing and data analysis, Audio and video transcription, Multi-step task automation

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ReadOS Pro Annual | $19.99 | per year |
| ReadOS Pro Lifetime | $69.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pal Chat free?

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

### Is ReadOS free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Pal Chat or ReadOS?

ReadOS is rated higher. Pal Chat averages 4.3 out of 5 from 440 ratings, while ReadOS averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.

### Do Pal Chat or ReadOS have ads?

Neither Pal Chat nor ReadOS shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pal Chat or ReadOS?

Pal Chat ships an update every 3 weeks, and ReadOS monthly. Most recently, Pal Chat was updated on November 11, 2026 and ReadOS on October 31, 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.*