Comparison

Sparrow vs Gridless

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

Head to head
About

Sparrow

Features
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Sparrow 是一款端到端加密的即时通信 App。 • 一对一与群组消息、图片、视频,全程端到端加密 • 语音与视频通话 • 多设备同步 • 可封锁用户、检举内容、于 App 内删除帐号

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

Sparrow4 screens
Gridless4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sparrow at none against Gridless's 4. 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sparrow ships an update fortnightly, Gridless monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
Sparrow versus Gridless: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSparrowGridless
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size110 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperXIAOFEI GLOBAL BRANDING PTE. LTD.Mediaville Co., Ltd.

In-app purchases

None

Sparrow

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 Sparrow free?
Sparrow is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Gridless free?
Gridless is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Sparrow or Gridless have ads?
Neither Sparrow nor Gridless shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sparrow or Gridless?
Sparrow ships an update fortnightly, and Gridless monthly. Most recently, Sparrow was updated on October 9, 2026 and Gridless on October 18, 2026.

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