# BonChat vs Lalapinta

BonChat and Lalapinta both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Lalapinta's written reviews are positive against 56% of BonChat's. Lalapinta also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 4 weeks). BonChat's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (60K vs 3). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Lalapinta holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BonChat has 60K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of BonChat's written reviews are positive against 100% of Lalapinta's.

BonChat ships an update every 4 weeks, Lalapinta every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BonChat | Lalapinta |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (60K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bonchat/id6701998686/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lalapinta/id6784174216/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **60K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 55.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 77 MB | 198 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Hong Kong CipherChat Tech Company Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1769526889) | [Mohamed Sesay](https://appshunter.io/developer/6784174218) |

## What reviewers say

### BonChat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bonchat/id6701998686)

This app offers secure messaging and file sharing with state-of-the-art end-to-end encryption. It provides options for private or on-premise server deployment, advanced group management, and a user-friendly interface. Enjoy seamless cross-platform communication with full control over your data.

**Highlights:** End-to-end encryption, Private/on-premise server deployment, Advanced group management, User-friendly interface, Cross-platform support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Helpful training
- 💡 Useful updates and news
- 🔒 Safe and secure communication

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inadequate training
- 🐛 Difficult to use
- 💬 Feature poor (can't hide online status, keyboard hides text area)

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatible with older devices

**Requested features**

- Add read receipts (two checkmarks when message is read)
- Improve keyboard and text area usability


### Lalapinta

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lalapinta/id6784174216)

Connect with friends, family, and local businesses in Sierra Leone. Share stories, discover opportunities, and celebrate culture through posts, reels, live streams, and direct messaging.

**Highlights:** Create posts, photos, and videos, Watch and share short-form reels, Live streaming with guests, Private messaging and calls, Local marketplace for buying and selling, Community groups and events, Business profiles and pages

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BonChat free?

BonChat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Lalapinta free?

Lalapinta is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, BonChat or Lalapinta?

Lalapinta is rated higher. BonChat averages 4.8 out of 5 from 60K ratings, while Lalapinta averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do BonChat or Lalapinta have ads?

Neither BonChat nor Lalapinta shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BonChat or Lalapinta?

BonChat ships an update every 4 weeks, and Lalapinta every 3 days. Most recently, BonChat was updated on October 21, 2026 and Lalapinta on October 9, 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.*