# Signal vs WE BASIC

The clearest difference is ads: Signal at none against WE BASIC's shown. Signal also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 4 weeks) and chart position (#9 vs unranked). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Signal sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month and WE BASIC sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 3 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Signal ships an update every 6 days, WE BASIC every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Signal | WE BASIC |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.1M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/signal-private-messenger/id874139669/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.1M** | — |
| Positive reviews | 67.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#9** | — |
| Size | 211 MB | 117 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Signal Messenger, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/874139672) | [Yesca Technologies Private Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1779254134) |

## What reviewers say

### Signal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/signal-private-messenger/id874139669)

**Currently charting:** #9 Top Free · Social Networking, #130 Top Free, #145 Top Grossing · Social Networking (US App Store)

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:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Signal Secure Backups | $1.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🔒 Security and privacy
- 👍 Ease of use
- 🚀 Great call quality
- 🚀 Smooth and pleasant user interface
- 🔒 End-to-end encryption

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Delayed message delivery
- 🐛 Inconsistent image/video quality
- 🐛 Buggy call functionality
- 🐛 Inability to edit sent messages
- 🐛 Unreliable notifications

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### WE BASIC

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/we-basic/id6758103257)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| One Business Quarterly | $5.99 | per 3 months |
| Two Business Quarterly | $9.99 | per 3 months |
| 400 Members | $79.99 | per month |
| 600 Members | $119.99 | per month |
| 800 Members | $119.99 | per month |
| 1200 Members | $179.99 | per month |
| 1400 Members | $209.99 | per month |
| 1600 Members | $239.99 | per month |
| 1800 Members | $269.99 | per month |
| Two Business Yearly | $399.00 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Signal free?

Signal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is WE BASIC free?

WE BASIC is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Signal or WE BASIC have ads?

WE BASIC shows ads; Signal does not.

### Which is updated more often, Signal or WE BASIC?

Signal ships an update every 6 days, and WE BASIC every 4 weeks. Most recently, Signal was updated on October 14, 2026 and WE BASIC on October 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*