Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Messenger vs YouTube

Messenger 4.7★ · Free + IAP 60
Winner YouTube
YouTube 4.7★ · Free to download 75

YouTube is the better choice for content consumption and learning, despite its ad frequency and recent stability issues, while Messenger is primarily for direct communication but struggles with reliability and privacy concerns.

Full reviews: Messenger · YouTube

YouTube offers a vast library of educational and entertainment content, though users frequently complain about excessive ads and app crashing. Messenger excels at direct communication but is plagued by bugs, notification issues, and privacy concerns.

Head to head

Features & Content edge: YouTubeR10R13R14R17
Messenger Messenger is valued for its communication features, including long-distance calls with good clarity and customisable chat backgrounds R14R17. However, some users report issues with audio during calls and disappearing messages R10R13.
YouTube YouTube is praised for its extensive content, offering educational material, music, and entertainment . Users appreciate its utility for learning and staying informed .
Ease of Use & User Interface tieR12R15R33R45
Messenger Messenger is generally considered easy to use, with some users finding it helpful and straightforward R12R15. However, recent updates have introduced bugs, making it harder to add custom pictures to themes or edit messages R33R45.
YouTube YouTube's interface changes have been met with mixed reactions, with some users disliking the new home screen layout and the push for 'Shorts' . The removal of the dislike button and changing the like button to a heart are also unpopular .
Reliability & Performance tieR1R6R19R25
Messenger Messenger suffers from significant reliability issues, including missing notifications, auto-removed messages, and frequent glitches R1R6R25R49. Users also report auto-logout problems and the app not being updated for iOS versions R19.
YouTube YouTube has severe crashing issues, with many users reporting the app fails to open or crashes frequently, requiring constant reinstallation R72R76R79. Some users also experience freezing during ads .
Price & Value tieR7R63R66R70
Messenger Messenger is free, but users express concerns about Meta's data consumption and lack of value, viewing it as a tool for data collection rather than user benefit R7.
YouTube YouTube is free to download, but users are highly critical of the excessive number of ads, which significantly detract from the viewing experience R63R66R70R78. Many wish for lower premium prices R66.
Support & Moderation tieR4R9R25R37
Messenger Messenger users report issues with account suspensions without clear reasons and difficulties with identity verification R4R9. There are also complaints about poor service and a lack of bug fixes R25R37.
YouTube YouTube users complain about ineffective moderation, citing inappropriate videos and ads R66. There are also reports of bugs in analytics for content creators and issues with Superchat not being seen by creators .
Pick Messenger if

You primarily need a free app for direct messaging and video calls with friends and family, especially for long-distance communication R14.

Pick YouTube if

You are looking for a vast library of video content for entertainment, education, and learning, and are willing to tolerate frequent ads or consider a premium subscription .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of negative reviews related to bugs and performance, despite their high lifetime ratings. For Messenger, many positive reviews are generic and lack specific details, while negative reviews are very specific about technical issues. For YouTube, the negative feedback is heavily concentrated on ads and app stability.

Frequently asked

Are there many ads on YouTube?
Yes, many YouTube users complain about an excessive number of ads, with some videos having ads every 5 minutes or long, unskippable advertisements R63R78R81R112.
Does Messenger have issues with notifications?
Yes, Messenger users frequently report problems with missing or delayed notifications, and the app sometimes shows unread messages that are not actually new R1R34R49.
Is YouTube experiencing crashing issues?
Yes, many YouTube users report that the app frequently crashes upon opening or after a short period of use, often requiring them to uninstall and reinstall the app multiple times R72R76R79R97.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R10] Messenger 1/5 · US no audio: i can't get my audio to work in messenger calls anymore?
  2. [R13] Messenger 1/5 · US Can’t hear: Can’t hear
  3. [R14] Messenger 5/5 · US Sisters!: I wonderful way to have a long chat with my sister in Australia.
  4. [R17] Messenger 4/5 · US The extra stuff: I love how you can customise the background into teams and each team has their own custom emoji and I love it
  5. [R12] Messenger 3/5 · US Good job and easy: Thanks
  6. [R15] Messenger 3/5 · US Average: Please make it more easier
  7. [R33] Messenger 3/5 · GB Briliant app untill..: I think its from the latest updates that i encountered, and not only me( some of my friends too) , the same problems. 1) we cant add custom pictures on themes( no matter the size and format) 2) sometimes when we try to edit sent messages, the message its seen as invisible, cant see the letters and we dont know how to edit, we have to exit and re enter the app to be able too)
  8. [R45] Messenger 3/5 · GB There was an update: App was working fine…until a recent update. Seems to be a theme these days with apps and developers.
  9. [R1] Messenger 2/5 · US Missing notifications: This is more on Facebook page where I have a notification that somebody replied to my comment and then I click on it and it's somebody else or it won't show the person. HUGE BUG!
  10. [R6] Messenger 3/5 · US Glitches: Recently due to lot of glitches many msgs r being auto removed.
  11. [R19] Messenger 1/5 · US Auto Logout Problem: Sometimes auto logouts and unable to enter into the account for about an hour. If I try to login it auto logouts again.
  12. [R25] Messenger 1/5 · US Needs bug fixes: It lags , txts vanish mid typing, video call minimize issues, half the time call rings doesnt show
  13. [R7] Messenger 1/5 · US Not useful: I am not understanding the utility of any of these META apps. They consume and steal your data and use it to keep you on the app yet all the content is pretty meh and underwhelming. The messenger is just another way for META to have access to your data. If only META used their money to improve the apps and provide value rather than to make it more engaging with less value.
  14. [R63] YouTube 3/5 · US Too many ads: WAY too many ads for one video, especially to the longer videos like every 5 minutes there’s an add and the tiny ad box that appears in the corner when you skip one is just taking away from the experience of watching. It’s getting tiring but overall, I love the app and just see the ads as a little too excessive.
  15. [R66] YouTube 3/5 · US Fix your app: YouTube isn’t terrible but I have some complaints 1. Too many adds 2. Bring back the dislike button 3. Lower premium prices 4. Work on moderation I have seen videos and especially adds that should not be on YouTube.
  16. [R70] YouTube 1/5 · US Garbage: I can not tell you how many times I blocked dating app advertisements. Each time saying “I don’t want to see ads like this” and yet the app INSISTS on showing them to me. I will NEVER use YouTube again. The ads were already rampant but this is just absolutely ridiculous. What is even the point of offering to “block” said ads when it clearly shows them to you more for blocking it. YouTube
  17. [R4] Messenger 1/5 · US Identity: I have identified my identity 5 times which is ridiculous. I have had this account 15 years or longer,
  18. [R9] Messenger 3/5 · US Unknown Suspension: Suddenly unable to respond in messenger, account is on hold for 30 days but unknown why? Just keeps showing community standards info!
  19. [R37] Messenger 2/5 · US Poor service: Poor service
  20. [R78] YouTube 3/5 · US For the love of YouTube entertainment: Way too many ads they are getting annoying and the advertising rate seems desperate YouTube stop it
  21. [R81] YouTube 3/5 · US Too many ads: There are way too many ads, and with some of them, there is no skip option, so you have to stop the video, go back, and start over.
  22. [R112] YouTube 1/5 · US GREED: Way too many ads especially if you wanna watch on a tv the ads can be like 5 minutes long.
  23. [R34] Messenger 1/5 · US Notification: Constantly shows unread messages and too much spam in other messages.
  24. [R49] Messenger 1/5 · US Glitchy: My app notification will sound off, the icon on my screen shows messages, but when I open the app, it just shows me messages that I sent it does not show incoming messages. It’s been like that since the last two updates. The messages eventually show up, but they’re not instant.
  25. [R72] YouTube 3/5 · US bruh: keep having to delete and download it back because after a while whenever i try to open the app it crashes before it even opens. smh
  26. [R76] YouTube 1/5 · US App Keeps Crashing: For the past couple days i have had to reinstall the app over and over again to be able to use it, after a couple hours it doesn’t even let me open the app anymore causing me to uninstall it. It has never done this before and whatever is happening needs to be fixed, it’s really killing the vibe. my phones up to date, i’ve restarted my phone everything and it still continues to
  27. [R79] YouTube 1/5 · US Crashing: Currently the app is crashing and I can’t even open it. I have to delete and download again. It happened 5 times in 2 days already. Also, some adds freeze the video and I have to close and open the app again.
  28. [R97] YouTube 1/5 · US Keeps crashing now: Still usually a 5 star, but it keeps crashing every time I open it, forcing me to uninstall and reinstall it sometimes

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store