VisiTel vs InmateSales
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
VisiTel
Connect with incarcerated loved ones through convenient video calls from home. Schedule and receive virtual visits after obtaining approval from the detention center. Not all facilities offer this service, so check local policies.
- Place video calls to detainees
- Receive video calls from home
- Requires detention center approval
- Account creation via website
- Customer support available
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The VisiTel mobile app allows you to place video calls to detainees in jail. You can place and receive video calls from the comfort of your own home. Approvals for your video visitation is required by the detention center. Not all detention centers support video visitation. Please contact your detention center for policies and procedures for video visitation. Please create an account by visiting https://secure.visitel.us. For help call setting up your account please call our help center at (972) 239-2182.
InmateSales
Manage your account for inmate services, including making deposits for products and scheduling video sessions. Send emails to individuals at supported facilities. Not all services are available at every location.
- Manage InmateSales account
- Make deposits for products
- Schedule video sessions
- Send emails to inmates
- Check facility service availability
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The InmateSales mobile app allows you to manage your InmateSales account and make deposits for products at certain facilities. You can also schedule video sessions and send emails to these individuals where they are allowed at a facility. Not all facilities support all products and services that we offer.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: VisiTel at 2.9 against InmateSales's 2.4. VisiTel also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (33% vs 16%). InmateSales's advantage is chart position (#142 vs unranked) and ratings volume (244 vs 30). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
VisiTel holds the better App Store score, 2.9 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: InmateSales has 244 ratings behind it against 30, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of VisiTel's written reviews are positive against 16% of InmateSales's.
VisiTel ships an update every 3 weeks, InmateSales every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | VisiTel | InmateSales |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.9 (30 ratings) — better | 2.4 (244 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews — better | 15.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 30 | 244 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #142 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 108 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Manit Chanthavong | Combined Public Communications |
Customer experience
VisiTel
InmateSales
Bugs and requests
VisiTel
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
InmateSales
Reported bugs
24 issues- App crashes frequently
- Login issues
- Account creation fails
- Calls drop mid-conversation
- App logs out unexpectedly
Show 19 moreShow fewer
- Emails and pictures not being sent/received
- Video calls fail to connect
- Verification links expire
- App freezes on logo screen
- Calls not ringing through
- Mutes inmate during calls
- Cannot hear inmate
- App kicks users out
- Password reset links not sent
- Error message: failed to reach contact
- Visits not logged correctly
- Chirp screen goes black
- Calls come through as normal phone calls
- Text messages not delivered
- App deletes unsaved emails
- Cannot zoom in on text
- Reloading app does not fix issues
- Verification emails not working
- App crashing after loading money
Requested features
18 requests- Add option to save email drafts
- Fix glitch with normal phone calls
- Make video visits longer
- Show phone airtime and Chirp text balance on app
- Allow larger increments for video visits and tablet time
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Make app 100% reliable
- Add more ways to create an account
- Add account reset button
- Provide FAQ page with clear pricing
- Allow users to see phone balance on app
- Fix issue with inmate not being able to use specific funds
- Allow users to check account balances
- Add ability to connect with inmate for texts
- Allow uploading pictures for emails
- Fix issue with emails/pictures not being received
- Add dark mode option
- Improve text message delivery
- Allow users to email customer service
In-app purchases
VisiTel
No in-app purchases
InmateSales
No in-app purchases
