Comparison

Subtext vs The Grey Mirror

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

Head to head
About

Subtext

Analyze your conversations to understand communication patterns and identify messages needing attention. This private, encrypted tool helps you explore relationships and draft replies without sending messages for you. It offers insights into how you connect, not a measure of feelings.

Highlights
  • Analyze message conversations
  • Identify messages needing attention
  • Explore communication patterns
  • Draft replies with AI coach
  • Private and encrypted analysis
  • Local data processing on Mac
Read full description

Understand your relationships and find the words that matter most. Subtext pairs with the Subtext Mac app to analyze your Messages locally, then brings a private, encrypted relationship brief to your iPhone. YOUR CONVERSATIONS, WRAPPED • See the people and patterns that shaped your month • Notice conversations that may deserve your attention • Explore communication rhythms across people and groups ASK WITH CONTEXT Coach can help you understand a moment, think through what to do next, or draft a reply that still sounds like you. It separates observed evidence from interpretation. Subtext never sends a message for you. TURN CONVERSATIONS INTO STORIES Create an Us film grounded in real conversations, then preview and share it when you choose. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Messages analysis happens on your Mac • Synced data is encrypted before it enters your private iCloud database • Pairing codes stay under your control • Subtext does not sell data, run ads, or track you • AI requests are initiated by you; the relay does not store prompts or answers TRY IT BEFORE PAIRING Tap “Explore a private preview” to browse clearly labeled fictional sample data. To use your real conversation history, install Subtext on your Mac and pair it with this iPhone. The iPhone cannot read your Messages database directly. New analysis requires your paired Mac; once synced, your latest brief remains available on iPhone. Today, Wrapped, relationship statistics, Close Circle, People, Groups, encrypted Mac sync, and offline access are free. Subtext Plus unlocks hosted AI Coach answers, editable drafts, and Us films after the first complimentary hosted AI experience. Subtext offers relationship intelligence, not therapy, diagnosis, or a measure of how someone feels. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

The Grey Mirror

Analyze your relationship communication through text messages. Understand patterns of effort, warmth, conflict, and repair over time. Offers insights into conversation dynamics and provides a projection plan.

Highlights
  • Analyze conversation effort, warmth, and conflict
  • Compare communication patterns of both sides
  • Upload message exports or screenshots
  • Choose relationship type (romantic, friendship, family)
  • View turning points and projections
  • Ask questions about chat history
Features
Read full description

Understand your relationship from your own messages. Grey Mirror reads a whole conversation and shows how effort, warmth, conflict and repair change over time. Compare both sides, inspect the evidence and find the moments that changed the thread. BRING THE WHOLE CONVERSATION • Upload a CSV export for the most complete read, with no size cap • Message exports from iMessage, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and more work too • Add screenshots or a screen recording when an export is unavailable • Choose a romantic, friendship or family read and tell Grey Mirror what you want to understand SEE THE PATTERNS • Who reaches out, who waits and how reply times shift • Warmth, conflict and whether repair follows an argument • Effort and reciprocity, measured separately for each person • Turning points across the conversation • A projection and action plan drawn from the report • Ask questions about your chat history, answered from the read's measurements EXPLORE YOUR READ Watch the cinematic reveal or open the report at your own pace. Compare signals in the chart builder, change the date range and inspect the evidence behind the findings. Available measurements depend on what your conversation contains. START WITH A PREVIEW Your first four findings are free. Confirm who is who, explore the preview and choose whether to open the complete report. CHOOSE HOW TO UNLOCK • Single report: one complete read with a one-time purchase • Report packs: 3, 5 or 10 report credits, with no subscription • Plus: 1 report credit each paid month, or 12 each paid year • Pro: 3 each paid month, or 36 each paid year • Studio: 8 each paid month, or 96 each paid year Yearly plans grant their included credits for the year. Unused report credits carry forward. Every report you unlock stays on your account after cancellation, until you delete it. Current localized prices are shown before purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically for the selected monthly or yearly period. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at purchase confirmation. Cancel at least 24 hours before renewal in Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. One-time reports and packs do not renew. YOUR DATA, YOUR CONTROLS Analysis runs on Grey Mirror's servers. Uploads and reports stay in your account until you delete them. Conversations are not used to train models. Export or delete your data from Account. Sign in with Apple, Google or email. Grey Mirror helps you reflect on communication. It is not therapy, a diagnosis or proof of someone's motives. Explore: https://thegreymirror.com Support: https://thegreymirror.com/contact Terms of Use: https://thegreymirror.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://thegreymirror.com/privacy

Screenshots

Subtext4 screens
The Grey Mirror4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Subtext at 5.0 against The Grey Mirror's 4.1. Subtext also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10). The Grey Mirror's advantage is ratings volume (7 vs 1). 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. The Grey Mirror sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Subtext asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Subtext holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Grey Mirror has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Subtext ships an update weekly, The Grey Mirror every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Subtext versus The Grey Mirror: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSubtextThe Grey Mirror
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.1 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews—60.0% of reviews
Number of ratings17 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB6 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperTanmaye BhatiaTerri Weant

Customer experience

Subtext

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

The Grey Mirror

All ratings7 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

None

Subtext

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

The Grey Mirror

Subscriptions6
  • Grey Mirror Plus$19.991 Month
  • Grey Mirror Pro$34.991 Month
  • Grey Mirror Studio$69.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Grey Mirror Plus (Yearly)$199.001 Year
  • Grey Mirror Pro (Yearly)$349.001 Year
  • Grey Mirror Studio (Yearly)$699.001 Year
One-time4
  • Complete Report$19.99
  • 3 Report Pack$49.99
  • 5 Report Pack$74.99
Show 1 more
  • 10 Report Pack$129.99

Questions

Is Subtext free?
Subtext is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Grey Mirror free?
The Grey Mirror is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Subtext or The Grey Mirror?
Subtext is rated higher. Subtext averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while The Grey Mirror averages 4.1 from 7 ratings.
Do Subtext or The Grey Mirror have ads?
Neither Subtext nor The Grey Mirror shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Subtext or The Grey Mirror?
Subtext ships an update weekly, and The Grey Mirror every 4 days. Most recently, Subtext was updated on October 11, 2026 and The Grey Mirror on October 31, 2026.

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