Comparison

real vs Collective Network

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

Head to head
About

real

This social network encourages real-life interactions by connecting you with nearby friends for spontaneous or planned activities. It prioritizes genuine human connections over algorithmic feeds, keeping your location private.

Highlights
  • Connect with available friends nearby
  • Schedule activities with friends
  • Announce community events
  • Discover nearby old friends
  • Privacy-focused location sharing
Read full description

real leverages technology to help us disconnect from screens and have more human-to-human interactions. It's a healthier social network: has real people, with real relationships, doing real-life activities. It effectively eliminates uncertainties associated with such activities: not knowing who is nearby, who is available, and who should initiate interactions. real overcomes these challenges while keeping one's whereabouts hidden from everyone else. Uniquely, it is not driven by any algorithms but is based on our real-life behavior. Main Features: - up for: make yourself available and get connected to your available friends in the area - let's hang: schedule specific activity with your friends and they get invited if nearby - community bulletin: let everyone in your community know of an event (e.g., a yard sale) - missed connections: real will let you know if an old friend happens to be close by

About

Collective Network

Features
Read full description

Collective is a social networking app built for IRL creative communities. Connect with the people you actually know through private groups, direct messaging, and a shared public space called the Everyone Network. Create private groups to share photos and posts with your closest circles and creative scene. Posts live for 90 days encouraging digital hygiene. Add comments, invite members, and build the groups with shared interests. Retrain your brain for digital autonomy in a digital shared space featuring: • Confluence — a public feed for sharing thoughts and ideas with the broader community • Cyber Lounge — live chatrooms for real-time conversations • Events — discover and share local happenings, enhancing creative voices in your community • Mutual Aid — connect with community resources and support • Barter Market — trade goods and services with people nearby Direct messaging lets you connect one-on-one with a consent-based system — no unwanted messages. Collective puts you in control of your social experience. Set your profile to private, block or hide users, and customize your notification preferences. Your data, your rules. Key Features: • Private groups with photo sharing and 90-day post expiry • Consent-based direct messaging • Everyone Network with Confluence, Cyber Lounge, Events, Mutual Aid, and Barter Market • User profiles with subscription and privacy controls • Push notifications for messages and activity • Content moderation for a safe community experience

Screenshots

real4 screens
Collective Network4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Collective Network at every 2 days against real's monthly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

real ships an update monthly, Collective Network every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
real versus Collective Network: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterrealCollective Network
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB218 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperSandalwood Research LLCCHRISTINA MARIE PHENSY

In-app purchases

None

real

No in-app purchases

None

Collective Network

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is real free?
real is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Collective Network free?
Collective Network is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do real or Collective Network have ads?
Neither real nor Collective Network shows ads.
Which is updated more often, real or Collective Network?
real ships an update monthly, and Collective Network every 2 days. Most recently, real was updated on November 4, 2026 and Collective Network on November 9, 2026.

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