Root vs Piko Chat
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Root
This platform empowers communities to connect, collaborate, and grow. It offers tools for organizing groups, from gaming guilds to interest-based clubs. Stay connected on the go with mobile chat, voice, and video calls, and manage your community with customizable channels and permissions.
- Community connection and collaboration
- Mobile chat and notifications
- Voice and video calls
- Customizable channels, roles, and permissions
- Desktop command center with integrated apps
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Root is community chat with voice and video calls, screen share, themes, and apps, all in one place. Chat in channels, hop into a call with your group, and add apps to enhance your community experience. FREE PROFILE AND THEME CUSTOMIZATION No paywalls on personality. Animated profile pictures, animated banners, custom emoji and themes are all free. Pick a theme or build your own. VOICE, VIDEO AND SCREEN SHARE Talk in voice channels, turn on video, and share your screen with sound. Move a call from your computer to your phone without hanging up. APPS IN YOUR COMMUNITY Add apps to your community. Draw together on one canvas, track tasks, or plan your next raid. BRING YOUR SERVER Import a server template and Root sets up your channels, categories and roles. FIND YOUR PEOPLE Browse Community Discovery to find a new group chat, or list your own community.
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
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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 rating: Piko Chat at 4.8 against Root's 4.3. Piko Chat also leads on review sentiment (88% vs 69%) and ratings volume (2.9K vs 141). Root's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and chart position (#171 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Piko Chat sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Root asks for nothing beyond the download.
Piko Chat holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Piko Chat has 2.9K ratings behind it against 141, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Root's written reviews are positive against 88% of Piko Chat's.
Root ships an update weekly, Piko Chat every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Root | Piko Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (141 ratings) | 4.8 (2.9K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 69.4% of reviews | 88.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 141 | 2.9K — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | #171 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 156 MB | 76 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Root Communications, Inc | Ebonnee Almeida |
Customer experience
Root
Piko Chat
In-app purchases
Root
No in-app purchases
Piko Chat
- Piko Plus Weekly$6.997 Days
- Piko Plus Weekly$7.997 Days
- Piko Plus Monthly$9.991 Month
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- 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
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- Piko Coins$19.99
- Piko Coins$99.99
