# Buddy vs Papalocal

The clearest difference is update cadence: Buddy at every 6 days against Papalocal's every 5 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Buddy ships an update every 6 days, Papalocal every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Buddy | Papalocal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddy-instant-messaging/id6757757349/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **10** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 101 MB | 68 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [KNNK Studio LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1868715282) | [Garret Merkley](https://appshunter.io/developer/6781304778) |

## What reviewers say

### Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/buddy-instant-messaging/id6757757349)

Experience the joy of classic instant messaging with live chat rooms. Connect with new people, join communities based on your interests, and engage in real conversations without the pressure of feeds.

**Highlights:** Live chat rooms, Community discovery, Customizable profiles, Buddy list management, Away messages, Mood expression

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Papalocal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papalocal/id6781304776)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Buddy free?

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

### Is Papalocal free?

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

### Do Buddy or Papalocal have ads?

Neither Buddy nor Papalocal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Buddy or Papalocal?

Buddy ships an update every 6 days, and Papalocal every 5 weeks. Most recently, Buddy was updated on November 5, 2026 and Papalocal on October 31, 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.*