# Old Buddies vs High Shelf

The clearest difference is ads: Old Buddies at none against High Shelf's shown. Old Buddies also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Old Buddies sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and High Shelf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Old Buddies ships an update every 2 days, High Shelf every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Old Buddies | High Shelf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/old-buddies/id6754047070/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 32 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kevin Klein](https://appshunter.io/developer/1846432712) | [ATLE RICHTER SCHIE](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896652180) |

## What reviewers say

### Old Buddies

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/old-buddies/id6754047070)

Rediscover forgotten screen names and online identities from your contacts. Relive the nostalgia of the early internet era with an authentic Windows XP-inspired design and classic features.

**Highlights:** Rediscover forgotten screen names, See old buddies from contacts, Recreate buddy lists, Windows XP era design, Authentic nostalgia, Privacy focused

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock your old buddy list. | $2.99 | one-time |
| Premium Unlimited | $2.99 | one-time |


### High Shelf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/high-shelf/id6769353418)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| High Shelf Pro | $2.99 | per month |
| High Shelf Pro - Annual | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Old Buddies free?

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

### Is High Shelf free?

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

### Do Old Buddies or High Shelf have ads?

High Shelf shows ads; Old Buddies does not.

### Which is updated more often, Old Buddies or High Shelf?

Old Buddies ships an update every 2 days, and High Shelf every 4 weeks. Most recently, Old Buddies was updated on October 24, 2026 and High Shelf on October 16, 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.*