# Chat Explorer vs Stacks

The clearest difference is update cadence: Stacks at every 5 days against Chat Explorer's fortnightly. Stacks also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). Chat Explorer's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Chat Explorer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Stacks sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Chat Explorer against 5.0 for Stacks. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

Chat Explorer ships an update fortnightly, Stacks every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chat Explorer | Stacks |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chat-explorer/id6746960239/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stacks-messages-plus-nfc/id6759775982/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 54 MB | 98 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Hugo Alonso Luis](https://appshunter.io/developer/1818206849) | [Jose Araneta](https://appshunter.io/developer/1504339704) |

## What reviewers say

### Chat Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chat-explorer/id6746960239)

This app allows you to privately search, analyze, and relive your exported chat conversations. It transforms years of messages, photos, and audio into an interactive timeline and topic map, all processed on your device.

**Highlights:** Search by words or meaning, Browse by timeline or topic, Relive media and audio, Export conversations as PDF, Group chat analytics, On-device processing

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Access (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Pro Access (Yearly) | $19.99 | per year |
| Chat Explorer Pro | $59.99 | one-time |


### Stacks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stacks-messages-plus-nfc/id6759775982)

Create and share rich, personal messages with friends and family. Combine audio, photos, videos, and text to tell stories or save memories. Enhance your messages with features like time capsules and location-based sharing.

**Highlights:** Create rich messages with audio, photos, videos, GIFs, and text, Share via link, access code, or in-app, Time Capsule messages, Location-based sharing, Optional AI-powered creative tools, Expanded media storage with subscription

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 GB Storage + AI | $1.99 | per month |
| 40 Ai Credits | $3.99 | one-time |
| 400 Ai Credits | $39.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chat Explorer free?

Chat Explorer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Stacks free?

Stacks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Chat Explorer or Stacks?

Chat Explorer and Stacks are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Chat Explorer or Stacks have ads?

Neither Chat Explorer nor Stacks shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Chat Explorer or Stacks?

Chat Explorer ships an update fortnightly, and Stacks every 5 days. Most recently, Chat Explorer was updated on September 27, 2026 and Stacks on September 29, 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.*