GettingOut vs Pay Tel
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
GettingOut
Stay connected with incarcerated loved ones through easy communication. Send messages, photos, and videos, and manage contacts directly from your mobile device. This app facilitates reliable connections, helping to maintain relationships.
- Send and receive messages
- Send photos and videos
- Make deposits
- Manage contacts
- Stay connected on the go
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GTL’s GettingOut mobile app is rooted in the power of relationships. It provides simple and reliable communication between inmates and their family and friends -- allowing them to stay connected, even on the go! With our free mobile app, you can easily make deposits, send and receive messages with our new and improved messaging feature, send photos and videos (select facilities), manage contacts and more. Download the GettingOut app today!
Pay Tel
Stay connected with loved ones. Receive instant alerts for messages and notifications. Easily view your balance and add funds, or send photos to inmates in eligible correctional facilities.
- Instant message alerts
- Unread message count
- Current balance visibility
- Add funds link
- Send photos to inmates
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The Pay Tel app provides you with easy access to important functionality: Instant alerts for any notifications from Pay Tel™ or your inteleMESSAGE™ contacts. Current unread messages count indicator. Just press to open inteleMESSAGE™. Visibility to your current balance, and a link to the main PayTel.com site for Adding Funds. Send photos to inmates in eligible facilities.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Pay Tel at none against GettingOut's shown. Pay Tel also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). GettingOut's advantage is rating (1.9 vs 1.6) and ratings volume (2.1K vs 126). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
GettingOut holds the better App Store score, 1.9 against 1.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GettingOut has 2.1K ratings behind it against 126, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 5% of GettingOut's written reviews are positive against 4% of Pay Tel's.
GettingOut ships an update every 2 months, Pay Tel every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GettingOut | Pay Tel |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.9 (2.1K ratings) — better | 1.6 (126 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 5.1% of reviews — better | 3.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.1K — better | 126 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #37 — better | #199 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Telmate, LLC | Pay Tel Communications |
Customer experience
GettingOut
Pay Tel
User reviews
GettingOut
From 2.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🙌 Ability to communicate with loved ones
- 🙂 Convenient messaging feature
- 👀 Video call option
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and glitches
- 💰 Expensive messaging and call costs
- 🤯 Unreliable and inconsistent performance
- 🔍 Difficulty depositing funds and managing accounts
- 🤖 Poor customer service and lack of support
Pay Tel
From 126 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📱 Enables communication with incarcerated loved ones
- 📹 Video calling functionality available
- 💬 Messaging feature when working properly
- ✅ App works smoothly after recent updates (per some users)
- 🎯 Easy to add funds/make payments
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- ❌ Messages fail to send or display
- 🔌 Constant login errors and authentication failures
- ⏱️ Extremely slow loading times
- 🔄 App randomly logs users out mid-session
Bugs and requests
GettingOut
Reported bugs
4 issues- Messages disappearing or not sending properly
- Inability to log in or access accounts
- Incorrect time stamps and sync issues
- Repeated prompts for app updates
Requested features
4 requests- Notification system for new messages
- Ability to save message drafts
- Improved photo and video sharing capabilities
- Easier account management and fund transfers
Pay Tel
Reported bugs
21 issues- App crashes on launch or during use
- Login authentication errors persist across sessions
- Messages fail to send despite payment being deducted
- Messages don't appear in inbox despite being sent
- App logs out randomly while actively in use
Show 16 moreShow fewer
- Typing causes screen to flicker and delete message content
- Blank white screens when trying to view messages
- App won't work when Wi-Fi is enabled (Error 403)
- Incorrect notification counts
- Balance doesn't update after adding funds
- Video call invitations don't pop up or display
- Call connections drop mid-conversation
- Echo/feedback during calls
- Calls ring once then hang up immediately
- Account lockout with 'phone number doesn't belong to account' error
- PIN number errors preventing login
- App won't open on certain devices (iPhone specific issues)
- Messages appear days late
- Duplicate messages being sent and charged
- App freezes when typing long messages
- Website login doesn't sync with app login
Requested features
12 requests- Improved app stability and performance optimization
- Better customer service responsiveness (live chat, phone support)
- Reduced pricing for calls and messages
- Same-day video visit scheduling
- Better message persistence (don't delete on app exit)
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Improved call quality and connection stability
- Wi-Fi compatibility fix
- Better user interface design and navigation
- Automatic message saving/drafts
- Transaction history visibility
- Refund policy for failed transactions
- Faster fund processing and balance updates
In-app purchases
GettingOut
No in-app purchases
Pay Tel
No in-app purchases
