Chalk vs Piko Chat
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chalk
Connect with friends nearby through drawing and typing, no internet needed. Rediscover the fun of retro doodle chat for spontaneous conversations.
- Draw and chat with friends
- Local, offline connectivity
- Retro doodle interface
- Type messages
- Spontaneous conversations
Read full descriptionHide full description
Draw, type, and chat with friends nearby - no internet required.
Piko Chat
Experience a nostalgic chat platform reminiscent of the early internet. Send pixel art notes, private letters, and engage in cozy themed rooms. Customize your profile and express yourself through drawings and reactions without the pressure of endless feeds.
- Send pixel art notes and private letters
- Engage in themed 'pod' chat rooms
- React to messages and keep conversations alive
- Customize profile, status bar, and theme
- Add optional public pins to a world map
- No endless feed or influencer focus
Read full descriptionHide full description
the internet, but fun again! Piko Chat is a nostalgic social app inspired by the 2000s internet. Customize your profile, send letters, draw pixel art, and meet new people. Join Pods to talk about art, life, internet nostalgia, or whatever you’re into. In Piko Chat you can: - Customize your profile - Send and receive letters - Draw pixel art messages - Join Pods and communities - Reply and react to posts - Meet people from around the world Make your profile yours with themes, pixel avatars, status bars, photos, and more. No algorithmic feed. No AI content. No influencers. Just people making things, talking, and hanging out. If you miss Frutiger Aero, old forums, custom profiles, pixel art, and the old internet, you’ll probably feel at home here. Piko Chat. chat like it’s 2006. Subscription Some features in Piko Chat may require a paid subscription. Pricing, renewal terms, free trial information, and cancellation options are shown in the app before purchase. Privacy Policy https://pikochat.net/privacy Terms of Service https://pikochat.net/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Piko Chat at none against Chalk's shown. Piko Chat also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 9 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Chalk sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Piko Chat sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Piko Chat holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Piko Chat has 2.9K ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Chalk's written reviews are positive against 88% of Piko Chat's.
Chalk ships an update every 9 months, Piko Chat every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chalk | Piko Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (28 ratings) | 4.8 (2.9K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 77.8% of reviews | 88.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 28 | 2.9K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 76 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Ouroboros Technologies, LLC | Ebonnee Almeida |
Customer experience
Chalk
Piko Chat
In-app purchases
Chalk
- Rainbow Brush$2.99
Piko Chat
- Piko Plus Weekly$6.997 Days
- Piko Plus Weekly$7.997 Days
- Piko Plus Monthly$9.991 Month
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Piko Plus Yearly Offer$19.991 Year
- Piko Plus Yearly Supporter$24.991 Year
- Piko Plus Yearly$29.991 Year
- Piko Plus Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
- 100 Piko Coins$1.99
- 300 Piko Coins$4.99
- 600 Piko Coins$8.99
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Piko Coins$19.99
- Piko Coins$99.99
