# NatureDex vs Ekko Chat

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NatureDex at none against Ekko Chat's 4. NatureDex also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks). Ekko Chat's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ekko Chat sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. NatureDex asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for NatureDex against 5.0 for Ekko Chat. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 4 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

NatureDex ships an update every 6 days, Ekko Chat every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NatureDex | Ekko Chat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/naturedex/id6748327779/reviews) | [5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ekko-chat/id6760432093/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 69 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Co AI, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1825256219) | [Chris Ross](https://appshunter.io/developer/1458925714) |

## What reviewers say

### NatureDex

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/naturedex/id6748327779)

Identify plants, animals, and fungi using AI-powered image recognition. Share your discoveries with detailed notes and location data, and explore what others are finding in a social feed. Engage with a community through comments, likes, and challenges.

**Highlights:** AI-enabled plant, animal, and fungi identification, Share discoveries with notes and location, Social feed of user captures, Follow users, like, and comment, Complete challenges and earn badges, Organize captures into collections, Map view of local discoveries

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Ekko Chat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ekko-chat/id6760432093)

A secure messaging app that uses multiple independent transport paths to ensure message delivery. It offers end-to-end encryption, offline messaging via Bluetooth, and no account or personal information required for use.

**Highlights:** Multi-transport message delivery, End-to-end encryption, Offline messaging via Bluetooth, No account or personal info required, Disappearing messages, Encrypted group chats, Transparent networking dashboard

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Standard Relay Monthly Subscription | $6.99 | per month |
| Premium Relay Monthly Subscription | $12.99 | per month |
| Annual Relay Standard Subscription | $69.99 | per year |
| Annual Relay Premium Subscription | $99.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NatureDex free?

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

### Is Ekko Chat free?

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

### Which has better reviews, NatureDex or Ekko Chat?

NatureDex and Ekko Chat are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 4 ratings respectively.

### Do NatureDex or Ekko Chat have ads?

Neither NatureDex nor Ekko Chat shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, NatureDex or Ekko Chat?

NatureDex ships an update every 6 days, and Ekko Chat every 3 weeks. Most recently, NatureDex was updated on October 9, 2026 and Ekko Chat on September 30, 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.*