Comparison

Soothe vs Away Message

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

Head to head
About

Soothe

This app offers an anonymous and judgment-free community for users to express their feelings and receive supportive responses. It provides a safe space to share burdens and connect with others.

Highlights
  • Anonymous venting
  • Judgment-free environment
  • Supportive community replies
  • Express feelings freely
  • Receive caring responses
Features
Read full description

Soothe is an anonymous, judgment-free space where you can vent, express your feelings, and receive kind, caring replies from real people. When life gets heavy, you don’t have to carry it alone. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Away Message

Share your current activity or availability with friends through temporary digital notes. Add locations, photos, or music to your updates, which automatically disappear after a set time. Connect privately with a unique code to keep your circle informed.

Highlights
  • Expiring status updates (30 min - 24 hours)
  • Customizable themes, fonts, and layouts
  • Location, photo, and music sharing
  • Private connections via shareable codes
  • Scrapbook-style note design
  • Emoji reactions on status cards
Read full description

Away Message is a status app that lets you tell friends where you are, what you’re doing, or when you’ll be back. It’s meant for quick, low-effort updates that keep people in the loop without turning into full conversations. If you’re stepping out for coffee, going out for the night, or focusing on work, you can post a short note so your friends have context. You can attach a location, a photo, or a song you’re listening to. There are no likes, comments, or feeds to manage. The point is simply to share what’s going on. Each status lasts from 30 minutes to 24 hours and then disappears. You can change the look of your updates with different fonts, colors, themes, and layouts. You can also add photos, drop a pin, or share music from Apple Music. Friends can drop an emoji on your status cards. People connect through simple 6-character codes. You approve who joins your circle and control who can see your updates. Features: • Statuses that expire after 30 minutes to 24 hours • Custom fonts, colors, themes, and layouts • Photos, locations, and Apple Music sharing • Scrapbook-style design for your notes • Private connections using shareable codes • No ads or algorithmic feeds Away Message is for friends, coworkers, and small groups who want to stay aware of each other’s day without constantly messaging. You leave a note, and people see it when they check. Sometimes a quick “brb” really is all that’s needed.

Screenshots

Soothe4 screens
Away Message4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Away Message at 100% against Soothe's 57%. Away Message also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). Soothe's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On price, ratings volume, ads 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. Soothe sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Away Message asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Away Message holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Soothe's written reviews are positive against 100% of Away Message's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Soothe ships an update every 2 months, Away Message every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Soothe versus Away Message: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSootheAway Message
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (7 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7 — better6
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size93 MB43 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperOurCity Media LLPColin Weir

Customer experience

Soothe

All ratings7 ratings
Positive57.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative42.9%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative42.9%

Away Message

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Soothe

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription$19.991 Year
None

Away Message

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Soothe free?
Soothe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Away Message free?
Away Message is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Soothe or Away Message?
Away Message is rated higher. Soothe averages 3.3 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Away Message averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.
Do Soothe or Away Message have ads?
Neither Soothe nor Away Message shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Soothe or Away Message?
Soothe ships an update every 2 months, and Away Message every 8 days. Most recently, Soothe was updated on November 4, 2026 and Away Message on November 5, 2026.

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