Staura vs Piko Chat
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Staura
Discover and create stories with curated playlists and aesthetic visuals. Connect with a global community of readers and writers who share your passion for storytelling. Immerse yourself in tales that match your vibe and find inspiration for your own creative journey.
- Read stories based on aesthetics
- Listen to curated story soundtracks
- Browse aesthetic visual posts
- Connect with readers and writers
- Share and get inspired
Read full descriptionHide full description
**Staura: Where Stories Come to Life in a New Way** Step into a world where stories evolve beyond just words - they’re experiences in motion. **Create and Explore Story Slideshows** Bring your stories to life with slideshows! Add text, backgrounds, and outfits to each slide, and create series with ease. It’s the trend of *2000s story slideshows*—but made easier and in one app. You can still write stories, but creating slideshows is the heart of Staura. **Read Stories Based on Your Favorite Aesthetics** Dive into captivating tales that match your vibe. Whether it’s dreamy, dark, or heartwarming, discover stories that feel like they were written just for you. **Listen to Songs that Capture the Stories** Every great story deserves its soundtrack. From soft melodies to intense beats, each story comes with a curated playlist to elevate your reading experience. **Scroll Through Beautifully Curated Posts** Aesthetic visuals meet meaningful words. Explore stunning posts that bring stories to life, making every scroll a work of art. **Connect with Other Readers and Writers** Join a vibrant community of creators and storytellers. Share, get inspired, and chat with fellow readers and writers from around the globe. Staura isn’t just an app—it’s a space for creators, dreamers, and readers to connect, create, and lose themselves in a universe of stories.
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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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 review sentiment: Piko Chat at 88% against Staura's 39%. Piko Chat also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.5) and ratings volume (2.8K vs 28). Staura's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12). 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. Staura asks for nothing beyond the download.
Piko Chat holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Piko Chat has 2.8K ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Staura's written reviews are positive against 88% of Piko Chat's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Staura | Piko Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (28 ratings) | 4.8 (2.8K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 38.9% of reviews | 88.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 28 | 2.8K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Every 5 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 48 MB | 76 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Rakesh Shah | Ebonnee Almeida |
Customer experience
Staura
Piko Chat
In-app purchases
Staura
No in-app purchases
Piko Chat
- Piko Plus Weekly$6.997 Days
- Piko Plus Weekly$7.997 Days
- Piko Plus Monthly$9.991 Month
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- 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
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Piko Coins$19.99
- Piko Coins$99.99
