Comparison

ProximityPulse vs Gridless

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ProximityPulse

Features
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Message anyone nearby โ€” no internet, no accounts, no data collection. ProximityPulse uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct to create instant conversations that never touch a server. WHY PROXIMITYPULSE? Unlike every other chat app, your messages never leave the space between two phones. No cloud. No sign-up. No trace. Just open the app, pick a name and emoji, and start chatting with people around you. MESSAGES THAT SELF-DESTRUCT Set a timer from 1 minute to 24 hours, and your messages vanish automatically. Perfect for festivals, classrooms, conferences, or anywhere you want conversations that don't follow you home. WORKS EVERYWHERE โ€” EVEN OFFLINE No Wi-Fi? No signal? No problem. ProximityPulse works at concerts, on planes, underground, in remote areas โ€” anywhere two phones can be near each other. Zero internet required. ALWAYS LISTENING IN THE BACKGROUND Advanced Bluetooth Low Energy keeps you reachable even when the app isn't on screen. Get notifications and messages without keeping ProximityPulse open. PRIVACY IS NOT A FEATURE โ€” IT'S THE ARCHITECTURE โ€ข No servers โ€” messages travel device-to-device only โ€ข No accounts โ€” just a name and emoji โ€ข No tracking โ€” zero analytics on your conversations โ€ข No cloud storage โ€” nothing is ever uploaded KEY FEATURES โ€ข Automatic discovery of nearby people via Bluetooth โ€ข Direct peer-to-peer messaging โ€” no middleman โ€ข Self-destructing messages with configurable timer โ€ข Background messaging via Bluetooth Low Energy โ€ข Works completely offline โ€ข Block, mute, or disconnect from anyone instantly โ€ข Typing indicators and delivery confirmations โ€ข Available in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese ProximityPulse โ€” real conversations, no digital footprint.

About

Gridless

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Like a walkie talkie, but for texts. Two iPhones, a seat apart on a plane, a tent apart at the campsite or a wall apart at home, share one private room over Bluetooth. No internet, no signal, no account. Gridless is made for exactly two people who already know each other: partners, parent and kid, best friends, travel buddies. You both install it, meet once, scan a QR code, and your iPhones open an end-to-end encrypted room. Within Bluetooth range, messages go straight to the other phone, and when you are near each other again, opening Gridless on either phone brings the room back. OFFLINE, ON PURPOSE - On the plane, across the aisle, everything in airplane mode - On the subway, deep below the last bar of signal - At the festival, when the crowd swamps the towers - At the campsite, the cabin, the cruise, the blackout - Abroad together, with no data plan between you - On a kid's hand-me-down iPhone with no plan - At home, when what you two say is nobody's business but yours ONLY YOU TWO CAN READ IT - Every message is end-to-end encrypted between your two phones (Noise protocol), and the keys exist nowhere else - No servers, no cloud. Nothing is stored in the middle, because there is no middle - No account, no phone number, no email. App Privacy: Data Not Collected - Compare your safety number in person to confirm no one is between you - Photos go phone to phone: compressed, stripped of location, never uploaded anywhere ONE ROOM, TWO PEOPLE No group chats to mute, no strangers' phones relaying your words, nothing broadcast to a crowd. A private line: one scan to set up, nothing to manage. LOCKED ON THE PHONE TOO - Your history sits behind Face ID or a passcode, plus a passphrase - Delete all data: one tap, permanent. The other phone keeps its own copy IT LIVES IN YOUR POCKET - In range, messages keep landing, with notifications, for days at a time - Apart, your words wait on your phone and deliver the moment you are back together - After hours or even days apart, opening either phone reconnects the room, even while the other one stays locked in a pocket. Just leave Gridless in the background rather than swiping it closed 20 LANGUAGES Gridless follows your phone's language, or pick one in Settings > Language. FREE TO TRY Your first 3 days are free on both phones, with everything unlocked. After that, reading and receiving stay free, and unlimited sending is Gridless Pro: yearly (with a 7-day free trial), monthly, or a one-time lifetime purchase. One of you goes Pro, and both of you get it. Some conversations don't need the whole internet. Just the person down the hall. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

ProximityPulse4 screens
Gridless4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ProximityPulse at none against Gridless's 4. ProximityPulse also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). Gridless's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Gridless sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. ProximityPulse asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ProximityPulse ships an update every 2 weeks, Gridless monthly. Both last shipped on October 18, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
ProximityPulse versus Gridless: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterProximityPulseGridless
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks โ€” betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size6 MB28 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperJuan Miguel Marques MorillaMediaville Co., Ltd.

In-app purchases

None

ProximityPulse

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Gridless

Subscriptions3
  • Gridless Pro (Monthly)$1.991 Month
  • Gridless Pro (Welcome)7 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • Gridless Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Gridless Pro (Lifetime)$39.99

Questions

Is ProximityPulse free?
ProximityPulse is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Gridless free?
Gridless is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ProximityPulse or Gridless have ads?
Neither ProximityPulse nor Gridless shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ProximityPulse or Gridless?
ProximityPulse ships an update every 2 weeks, and Gridless monthly. Most recently, ProximityPulse was updated on October 18, 2026 and Gridless on October 18, 2026.

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