The Midst vs Heatwave Social
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Midst
A location-based social network where posts are tied to your current location and visible globally. Share experiences, discover new places through check-ins, and build wish lists of interesting spots. Posts are temporary, ensuring fresh content.
- Location-based posting
- Global map view
- 24-hour post expiration
- Check-in functionality
- Wish list creation
- Anonymous posting option
- Age verification
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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.
Heatwave Social
This social media app features blurred posts that gradually reveal as users interact. Build anticipation for your content and connect with others through shared discovery and private chats.
- Blurred posts revealed by user interaction
- Anticipation-driven content sharing
- Instant unlocking with tokens
- Private chat upon unlocking
- Screenshot protection
- Trending content discovery
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Some moments are worth the wait. On Heatwave, every post starts blurred, and it takes everyone bringing the heat to unlock it. No mindless scrolling through everything at once. The reveal is something you earn together, and the wait is what makes it hit. A photo dump becomes an event. A drop becomes a countdown. An announcement becomes something people actually show up for. A new kind of social media. Built on anticipation, made for connection. Set the bar. You decide how many flames it takes to reveal your post. Spark it. When the flames add up, the blur burns away for everyone who brought the heat. Skip the line. Spend tokens to unlock any post instantly. Start a conversation. Instant unlocking also opens a private chat with whoever posted. Stay protected. Screenshots are blocked, so what you share stays yours. See what's hot. Trending shows what's catching fire right now. And when a post finally burns open, you find out exactly who showed up for it. The best stuff is behind the blur. Download Heatwave.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Heatwave Social at 15.0 against The Midst's 27.0. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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
Both are free to download. The Midst sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Heatwave Social sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for The Midst against 5.0 for Heatwave Social. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
The Midst ships an update every 4 weeks, Heatwave Social every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | The Midst | Heatwave Social |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 27.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 115 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Dan O'Leary | Heatwave Social Inc. |
Customer experience
The Midst
Heatwave Social
In-app purchases
The Midst
- Monthly$1.991 Month
- Yearly$19.991 Year
Heatwave Social
- 3 Flame Tokens$3.99
- 10 Flame Tokens$9.99
- 25 Flame Tokens$19.99








