# Ohoy vs BrightChat

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BrightChat at none against Ohoy's 1. Ohoy's advantage is iOS requirement (7.0 vs 15.6). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ohoy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. BrightChat asks for nothing beyond the download.

Ohoy ships an update every 2 weeks, BrightChat every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ohoy | BrightChat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.6 (190 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brightchat-messaging-and-call/id1082880824/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **190** |
| Positive reviews | — | 75.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 1 MB | 98 MB |
| Requires iOS | **7.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jesper Henriksen](https://appshunter.io/developer/602905602) | [ShenXun Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1157647285) |

## What reviewers say

### Ohoy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ohoy/id917797286)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change Background colors | $0.99 | one-time |


### BrightChat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brightchat-messaging-and-call/id1082880824)

This app provides secure and private communication through end-to-end encrypted messaging and calls. It offers features like scheduled and disappearing messages, as well as group chats for staying connected with loved ones.

**Highlights:** End-to-end encrypted messages, Encrypted audio and video calls, Schedule messages, Disappearing messages, Group chats

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🔒 Secure and private communication
- 👍 Easy to use and clean interface
- 🚀 Works smoothly for most users
- 💰 Free to use
- ✨ Gets better with updates

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unreliable message sending/receiving
- ⏳ Long delays in message delivery
- ❌ Cannot receive verification codes
- 🚫 No option to unblock users
- 🐛 Bugs in group chat tagging

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot receive verification codes (UK, +262)
- Long delays in sending or receiving messages
- Messages do not send or receive for long periods
- Cannot unblock users
- Delete user option not working

**Requested features**

- Add parental controls (contact restrictions, website blocking)
- Make secure internet app with parental controls
- Make double checkmarks more visible
- Add landscape mode for iPad
- Allow viewing messages and attachments in landscape mode


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ohoy free?

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

### Is BrightChat free?

BrightChat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Ohoy or BrightChat have ads?

Neither Ohoy nor BrightChat shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ohoy or BrightChat?

Ohoy ships an update every 2 weeks, and BrightChat every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ohoy was updated on November 1, 2026 and BrightChat on November 2, 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.*