mxChat vs HOP
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
mxChat
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mxChat is a Matrix-compatible chat app designed for secure communication with family, friends, and teams. Key features • One-to-one and group chat • End-to-end encryption (E2EE) • Photo and file sharing • Contact and profile management • Join and invite with QR code scanning • User ID search and public room search • Connect to mxchat.org, matrix.org, or another homeserver • Push notifications • Face ID and screen-lock PIN • Encrypted-session recovery with a recovery key • Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese Users with administrator privileges can also review registration requests and manage users. mxChat syncs conversations through the selected Matrix homeserver, supporting everyday conversations and secure group information sharing.
HOP
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HOP is a free messenger that works with no internet and no cell signal. Messages hop from phone to phone and travel further than any single device can reach. On iPhone, HOP connects over a shared Wi‑Fi network (no internet needed, e.g. a hotspot), and iPhones near each other can also connect directly over Apple’s peer-to-peer Wi‑Fi, with no network at all. The internet is optional. A message can pass through many phones on the way, and with no route it waits and sends itself later. iOS pauses connections in the background, so the mesh works while HOP is open. WHERE IT HELPS • Concerts and festivals — when thousands of phones jam the network • Matches and stadiums — find your group after half-time • Planes — in airplane mode, turn Wi‑Fi back on and text fellow passengers • Mountains, trails, sailing — valleys with no coverage • Outages, storms, blackouts • Camps and school trips HIGHLIGHTS • SOS: hold the button for 2 seconds — the alarm reaches every HOP phone nearby, across many hops too; with your GPS position if you like (GPS works without internet) • A compass to the person calling for help — arrow and distance • Network radar: see who is right next to you and who is a few hops away • Friends and strangers — add friends by scanning the QR code of the person next to you • “Hide me from strangers” — strangers see only a dot • Announcements for everyone nearby • Photos, replies, disappearing messages • Optional internet relay — to reach friends far away • 8 languages PRIVACY End-to-end encryption (X25519, ChaCha20-Poly1305, Ed25519 signatures). Keys are created on your phone. No phone number, e‑mail, password or account. No ads, no tracking. Phones on the way and the relay can’t read your messages — they only see sender and recipient IDs, time and size. HOP does not replace the emergency number. If you have signal, call 112 (or your local emergency number). The more people around you have HOP, the further the network reaches — tell your friends.
Screenshots
Verdict
mxChat and HOP are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
mxChat ships an update every 3 days, HOP daily. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | mxChat | HOP |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.5 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 194 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | UnitLive Co., Ltd. | Rafal Mirowski |
In-app purchases
mxChat
No in-app purchases
HOP
No in-app purchases









