# IRCCloud vs Pure Chat

The clearest difference is rating: Pure Chat at 4.4 against IRCCloud's 3.4. Pure Chat also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (574 vs 78). IRCCloud's advantage is review sentiment (49% vs 16%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Pure Chat holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pure Chat has 574 ratings behind it against 78, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of IRCCloud's written reviews are positive against 16% of Pure Chat's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

IRCCloud ships an update every 3 months, Pure Chat every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | IRCCloud | Pure Chat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.4 (78 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/irccloud/id672699103/reviews) | **[4.4 (574 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pure-chat-live-website-chat/id1504100695/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 78 | **574** |
| Positive reviews | **48.5% of reviews** | 16.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 21 MB | 77 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [IRCCloud Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/672699106) | [Ruby Receptionists](https://appshunter.io/developer/1045646703) |

## What reviewers say

### IRCCloud

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/irccloud/id672699103)

Access IRC chat from any device and never miss a conversation. Your chat history is synced to the cloud, and you'll receive push notifications for important messages. Share files and customize your experience with multiple themes.

**Highlights:** Cloud-synced chat history, Push notifications for mentions/DMs, File sharing (photos, videos, files), Server-side connection for persistent access, Multiple colorful themes, Monospace font option

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Siri integration

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🌐 Persistent connection without app being open
- 📱 Best iOS IRC client available
- 🎨 Intuitive and polished user interface
- 💬 Seamless multi-device synchronization
- 📸 Built-in image/file upload functionality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Mandatory account creation required
- 📧 Email address required upfront before evaluation
- 💳 Hidden paywall after free trial period
- 🔐 Basic features locked behind paid subscription
- 🐛 Frequent connection drops and disconnections

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes during signup process
- Login screen freezes or shows blank navy background
- Text input box cut off at bottom of screen
- Typing bar blocks view of messages
- App stuck on 'Connecting' screen on iPad

**Requested features**

- Third-party client support for BNC functionality
- Bulk file deletion instead of one-by-one
- Disable auto-archiving of inactive chats
- Faster app load times for chat history
- Password support with special characters


### Pure Chat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pure-chat-live-website-chat/id1504100695)

Connect with website visitors and customers in real time through live chat. Engage instantly with new visitors or existing customers to answer questions and provide support from anywhere.

**Highlights:** Real-time visitor engagement, Instant customer support, Mobile chat access, New visitor notifications, Availability status control, Historical chat transcripts

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🔒 Secure and reliable product
- 💬 Effective live chat feature for website visitors
- 💰 Reasonable pricing for the service
- 👍 Works well on desktop version
- 📈 Generates decent customer orders

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔔 Unreliable or missing notifications on mobile
- 📱 Poor iPhone/iOS app performance
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing
- ⏱️ Slow response times and lag
- 🔐 Automatic logout issues requiring frequent re-login

**Reported bugs**

- App notifications not delivering on iOS
- Chat window spinning/reconnecting indefinitely
- App crashes on latest iOS versions
- Chat toggle status not registering correctly
- Menu icon disappearing after ending chat on iPad

**Requested features**

- Desktop application for Windows/Mac
- Persistent login sessions on mobile
- Quick access to canned messages on mobile
- Better iPad landscape orientation support
- Improved notification system reliability


## Frequently asked questions

### Is IRCCloud free?

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

### Is Pure Chat free?

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

### Which has better reviews, IRCCloud or Pure Chat?

Pure Chat is rated higher. IRCCloud averages 3.4 out of 5 from 78 ratings, while Pure Chat averages 4.4 from 574 ratings.

### Do IRCCloud or Pure Chat have ads?

Neither IRCCloud nor Pure Chat shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, IRCCloud or Pure Chat?

IRCCloud ships an update every 3 months, and Pure Chat every 3 weeks. Most recently, IRCCloud was updated on October 21, 2026 and Pure Chat on October 22, 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.*