Comparison

Signal vs Advently

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

Head to head
About

Signal

This messaging app prioritizes your privacy with strong end-to-end encryption for all communications. It offers free text, voice, and video messaging, including group chats and disappearing stories, all without collecting your data.

Highlights
  • End-to-end encrypted messaging
  • Free voice and video calls
  • Group chats up to 1000 people
  • Disappearing Stories
  • File sharing
  • Admin controls for groups
Features
Read full description

Signal is a messaging app with privacy at its core. It is free and easy to use, with strong end-to-end encryption that keeps your communication completely private. • Send texts, voice messages, photos, videos, GIFs, and files for free. Signal uses your phone’s data connection, so you avoid SMS and MMS fees. • Call your friends with crystal-clear encrypted voice and video calls. Group calls supported for up to 50 people. • Stay connected with group chats up to 1,000 people. Control who can post and manage group members with admin permission settings. • Share image, text, and video Stories that disappear after 24 hours. Privacy settings keep you in charge of exactly who can see each Story. • Signal is built for your privacy. We know nothing about you or who you’re talking to. Our open source Signal Protocol means that we can’t read your messages or listen to your calls. Neither can anyone else. No back doors, no data collection, no compromises. • Signal is independent and not for profit; a different kind of tech from a different kind of organization. As a 501c3 nonprofit we are supported by your donations, not by advertisers or investors. • For support, questions, or more information please visit https://support.signal.org/ To check out our source code, visit https://github.com/signalapp Follow us on Twitter @signalapp and Instagram @signal_app

About

Advently

Features
Read full description

Make the plan. Send the link. Know who's coming. Advently gives organisers one place to create events, share them and manage attendance. Share an event in WhatsApp and guests get a simple signup page. They can RSVP with their name. They do not need to download the app. When an event works, run it again. Advently carries over the details so you only need to choose the next date. FOR ORGANISERS • Create public or private events • Set the time, place, capacity and event details • See live RSVPs and manage the attendee list • Share a signup link anywhere, including WhatsApp • Repeat a previous event without entering everything again • Give trusted members moderator access FOR YOUR CREW Members who download Advently can see upcoming events, RSVP, join crew chat and discover public groups nearby. Location access is optional and only used while the app is open. NO ADS OR TRACKING Advently does not sell personal data. Members can report content, block people and delete their account in the app. Organisers and moderators control who belongs in their crew. Advently is available to adults aged 18 and over. Questions? Contact eddtb55@gmail.com

Screenshots

Signal4 screens
Advently4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Advently at none against Signal's 1. Signal's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months) and chart position (#11 vs unranked). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Signal sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Advently asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Signal ships an update weekly, Advently every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and September 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Signal versus Advently: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSignalAdvently
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.1M ratings) — better—
Positive reviews67.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.1M — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#11 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size239 MB53 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperSignal Messenger, LLCEdward Buckham

Bugs and requests

Signal

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Problem retrieving data, resulting in lost message history
  • Keyboard covering the current conversation
  • Inconsistent behavior when attaching photos/videos
  • Scrolling issues when reading through messages
  • Inability to recover message history after device change

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add filters and customization options
  • Allow adding music to stories
  • Implement a sticker store
  • Add ability to pin messages in group chats
  • Allow new members to view previous group messages
Show 5 more
  • Make group background changes visible to all
  • Implement a backup/restore feature
  • Add option to move sent messages to the left side
  • Bring back pause and skip functions for longer audio messages
  • Allow batch deletion of group messages

Advently

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Signal

Subscriptions1
  • Signal Secure Backups$1.991 Month
None

Advently

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Signal free?
Signal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Advently free?
Advently is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Signal or Advently have ads?
Neither Signal nor Advently shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Signal or Advently?
Signal ships an update weekly, and Advently every 4 months. Most recently, Signal was updated on October 31, 2026 and Advently on September 4, 2026.

Other comparisons