Pantry vs Us Back Then
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pantry
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Some things can't go in the company chat. Pantry is an anonymous chat that only reaches people who are near you right now. Phones connect directly over Bluetooth. There is no server. There is no account. [How it works] • Create a room and set a passphrase • Show the QR code or send the link to a coworker • Only people who enter the same passphrase can read the room • Messages disappear after 24 hours [What it's for] - Things you wouldn't put in writing at work - Careful subjects: leaving, pay, reviews - The conversation that stays between you - Everything from lunch plans to office rumors [Being straight with you] Bluetooth only knows that someone is close by. It cannot tell which floor they are on, or whether they work with you. That is why rooms have a passphrase — close by AND holding the passphrase. When few people are around, anonymity gets weak. Someone may guess who wrote what. We show the live count on screen so you can tell. Capture protection is a deterrent, not a block. We detect recording and mirroring and hide the chat, and we tell the whole room when a capture is detected. But no app can stop someone photographing your screen with a second phone. [How conversations end] - Messages: deleted after 24 hours - Rooms: gone after 3 quiet days - Uploaded to a server: nothing [Thermos — keep only what you choose] Everything disappears by default. Turn on Thermos only for the chats worth keeping. - Only the conversations you pick are saved - Saved conversations open with device authentication - Never uploaded — not to your employer, not to us - Delete all of it whenever you want [Privacy] - No server — messages travel directly between phones - No sign-up — no email, no phone number - No tracking — no advertising identifier, no location [Subscription & Terms] - Thermos: USD 0.99 per month, auto-renewing monthly subscription - Renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends; your Apple Account is charged on confirmation of purchase - Manage or cancel any time in your App Store settings - Privacy Policy: https://devjihwan.github.io/NearTalk_Privacy/privacy-policy.html - Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Us Back Then
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Discover the things that connect you. Us Back Then helps you find people with shared schools, clubs, interests and memories. Explore connections nearby or beyond your area, send a chat request, and start a conversation when the other person accepts. MAKE YOUR PROFILE YOUR OWN Add the details you want to share: schools and start years, clubs and organizations, hobbies, favorite sports teams, pets, hometown, and more. Military service and MBTI fields are also available as optional profile details. The same profile fields are available in Korean, Japanese and English. FIND SOMETHING IN COMMON See the profile details you have in common. A club connection requires both the club name and its school or organization to match, helping distinguish different groups with the same name. CHECK IN WHEN YOU CHOOSE Use check-in to discover people nearby. Your exact location is not shown; the app displays an approximate location instead. You can stop sharing your location at any time. START WITH A CHAT REQUEST Send a message with your request and let the other person decide whether to accept. Once connected, exchange messages and photos. Blocking and reporting tools are available in the app. CHOOSE YOUR LANGUAGE Switch between Korean, Japanese and English in Settings. Your language choice is saved, and switching languages does not change your profile information or translate your messages. ABOUT STRAWBERRIES Some chat requests in Memory connections use strawberries, a consumable item available through in-app purchases. The app shows the required amount before you send a request, and the store shows the purchase price. For a paid request, strawberries are reserved when you send it and spent only after the other person accepts and sends their first reply. The app explains when reserved strawberries become available again. Find a familiar connection and begin a new conversation.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Us Back Then at every 3 days against Pantry's every 8 days. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Pantry sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Us Back Then sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Pantry ships an update every 8 days, Us Back Then every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pantry | Us Back Then |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | JIHWAN SEOK | Sunwoo Choi |
In-app purchases
Pantry
- Thermos$0.991 Month
- OffTalk Pro Subscription$2.991 Month
- OffTalk Pro$29.991 Year
Us Back Then
- 10 Strawberries$0.49
- 20 Strawberries$0.99









