Comparison

PI.FYI vs The Midst

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

Head to head
About

PI.FYI

This app helps you discover new films, music, restaurants, and books based on recommendations from friends and trusted individuals, rather than algorithms. You can track your own tastes, create curated lists, and follow others with great taste to build genuine connections.

Highlights
  • Share recommendations with friends
  • Discover new films, music, and books
  • Curate and organize discoveries into lists
  • Follow people with great taste
  • Customize profile with themes
  • Escape algorithmic doom scrolling
Features
Read full description

Do you miss the old Internet? FYI is the recommendation app for people who trust friends over algorithms. Share your taste, discover new favorites, and build lists of everything you love. From films and music to restaurants and books. "Perfectly Imperfect gazes back nostalgically to an era when corporate algorithms didn't control cultural discovery" — The New York Times "I have read Perfectly Imperfect for many years and have benefited greatly from this generous source of inspo" — Lorde SHARE YOUR TASTE • Track what you've been into lately • Share recommendations with friends • Ask people for advice or specific recs • Customize your profile with beautiful themes DISCOVER YOUR NEXT FAVORITE • Find your next favorite film, album, restaurant, or book • Get recommendations from friends, not algorithms • Browse by scene to explore new interests • Meet your taste soulmate CURATE & ORGANIZE • Bookmark and organize discoveries into lists • Build your personal watchlist, reading list, and more • Keep track of places to visit and things to try • Create shareable collections of your favorites FOLLOW PEOPLE WITH GREAT TASTE • Follow friends and cool strangers • Discover editorial content from cultural icons like Charli XCX, Francis Ford Coppola, and PinkPantheress • Find local events happening near you • Escape the endless algorithmic doom scroll FYI is built by Perfectly Imperfect. It's the internet we were promised. No ads. No algorithms deciding what you see. Just real recommendations from real people. Join the community at pi.fyi Apple EULA terms - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula pi.fyi,perfectly,imperfect,cultural,bookmark,film,music,restaurant,watchlist,curate,recs,lists,favorites

About

The Midst

This location-based social network allows users to share posts pinned to their current location, visible globally. Discover what's happening worldwide by exploring the map. Posts disappear after 24 hours, keeping content fresh.

Highlights
  • Location-based posting
  • Global map exploration
  • 24-hour post expiration
  • Check-in functionality
  • Wish list creation
  • Age verification via Apple
Read full description

The Midst is a location-based social network and life logging app. Posting to The Midst drops a pin at your current location and is visible to anyone in the world. Pan the map to see what's happening around the world. Posts expire after 24 hours, ensuring information remains relevant and up-to-date. Check-in: Have you stumbled upon a fantastic new food truck or a great coffee shop? Check-in by tapping a place on the map. Check-ins can be public by also posting to The Midst, or choose to only save check-ins to your Saved Places list. Wish List: Did someone check in at a place you find interesting? Tap the pin on the map in The Midst and add that location to your Wish List. Saved places and wish list items are saved in the Check In tab. Some regions now require age verification for social apps. The Midst uses Apple’s Declared Age Range verification to meet these regulations while protecting your privacy. Verification is a one-time, on-device check using the age information already stored in your iCloud account. We only receive a yes/no confirmation that you meet the age requirement. The Midst never sees, stores, or transmits your birthday or actual age. The Midst uses Apple's standard end user license agreement (EULA) which can be viewed here: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ View our privacy policy here: https://www.themidstapp.com/privacy-policy.

Screenshots

PI.FYI4 screens
The Midst4 screens

Verdict

The call

PI.FYI and The Midst both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of The Midst's written reviews are positive against 68% of PI.FYI's. PI.FYI's advantage is ratings volume (3.2K vs 3) and update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. PI.FYI sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and The Midst sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for PI.FYI against 5.0 for The Midst. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PI.FYI has 3.2K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of PI.FYI's written reviews are positive against 100% of The Midst's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PI.FYI ships an update weekly, The Midst every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
PI.FYI versus The Midst: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPI.FYIThe Midst
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (3.2K ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.2K — better3
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#65 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better27.0
Further details — not scored
Size174 MB37 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperPerfectly ImperfectDan O'Leary

Customer experience

PI.FYI

All ratings3,227 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral1.4%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews236 reviews
Positive68.2%
Neutral9.7%
Negative22.0%

The Midst

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

PI.FYI

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashing on launch
  • Inability to see following
  • Delayed/unresponsive interactions

Requested features

3 requests
  • Location-based features
  • Improved accessibility
  • Smoother scrolling and navigation

The Midst

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

PI.FYI

Subscriptions3
  • PI.FYI Monthly Premium7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • PI.FYI Yearly Premium$64.991 Year
  • PI.FYI Yearly Legend Fr$120.991 Year
One-time3
  • 2 Credits$1.99
  • 12 Credits$9.99
  • 30 Credits$19.99
2 purchases

The Midst

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Yearly$19.991 Year

Questions

Is PI.FYI free?
PI.FYI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Midst free?
The Midst is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PI.FYI or The Midst?
The Midst is rated higher. PI.FYI averages 4.9 out of 5 from 3.2K ratings, while The Midst averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do PI.FYI or The Midst have ads?
Neither PI.FYI nor The Midst shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PI.FYI or The Midst?
PI.FYI ships an update weekly, and The Midst every 4 weeks. Most recently, PI.FYI was updated on November 12, 2026 and The Midst on November 4, 2026.

Other comparisons