VisiTel vs Kiwichat
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.
Kiwichat
Connect with individuals in correctional facilities through instant messaging. This free application facilitates communication, helping to maintain relationships with incarcerated loved ones. It offers a simple interface for easy texting.
- Instant messaging to people in prison
- Free to download and use
- Easy-to-use interface
- Facilitates staying in touch
- Subscription plans available
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KiwiChat enables you to text people in prison instantly and for free. Our core purpose is to increase the number of people who stay in touch with those who are incarcerated. KiwiChat achieves this by offering an easy-to-use, free instant messaging app that allows anyone to download and communicate with people in prison. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: VisiTel at none against Kiwichat's 2. VisiTel also leads on review sentiment (33% vs 17%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Kiwichat's advantage is iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Kiwichat sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.95 per month. VisiTel asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 2.9 for VisiTel against 3.0 for Kiwichat. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 30 and 17 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 33% of VisiTel's written reviews are positive against 17% of Kiwichat's.
VisiTel ships an update every 3 weeks, Kiwichat every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | VisiTel | Kiwichat |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.9 (30 ratings) | 3.0 (17 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews — better | 16.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 30 — better | 17 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 13.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Manit Chanthavong | KIWICHAT INC. |
Customer experience
VisiTel
Kiwichat
In-app purchases
VisiTel
No in-app purchases
Kiwichat
- Kiwi Premium Chat$4.951 Month
- Test Georgia Chat7 Days trial$6.951 Month
