Cupie vs Between vs Paired vs Widgetable (and others) for long distance couples

Updated October 2026. Cupie, Between, Paired and Widgetable are four of the apps long distance couples ask about most, and they do four different jobs. Cupie is a free video calling app for couples on iPhone and Android where you play games together live inside the call. Between is a private messenger for two. Paired is a daily question app with paid guided content. Widgetable puts shared widgets on your home screen. Below we compare them, plus six more (Agapé, Candle, Couple Joy, Lovewick, Locket and Bond Touch), on features, price, platforms, reviews and weak points, including Cupie's.

Cupie vs Between vs Paired vs Widgetable: how do they compare?

Prices are US App Store prices and ratings are US App Store ratings, checked in October 2026.

How we compared: we checked each app's store listing for features, prices and platforms, and read the critical reviews on each listing, in October 2026. Cupie is our app. We rank it first for one use case (playing together on a call) and list its weak points like everyone else's.

Which LDR apps have the best reviews?

Here are all 10 apps side by side.

Almost every app sits between 4.7 and 4.9 stars, so the rating alone won't decide for you. The weak points column is more useful: it comes from the 1 to 3 star reviews on each listing.

What is each app good and bad at?

1. Cupie: best for playing games together on a call

You call your partner inside Cupie, pick a game and it plays live on both phones while you see each other. Get Closer, Minigolf, Four in a Row, Tic Tac Toe and Truth or Dare are open from day one. Match, Get Spicy, Pool, Get Deeper, Cup Pong, Get Silly, Solo, Get Romantic and Chess open one by one as your daily call streak grows. There is a private couple chat, a new couple quiz every morning, and widgets that show your partner, your streak and (on iPhone) both time zones and your distance.

• Price: free to download, no ads.
• Platforms: iPhone (iOS 15+) and Android. Rated 18+ on the App Store because of the spicy deck.

Inside the Cupie app

Every game in Cupie

All 14 games in Cupie today. You play them live on a video call, in sync on both phones.

• Open from day oneGet Closer: Turn-by-turn question cards to ask each other out loud, in three phases: Perception, Connection, Reflection.
• Open from day oneMinigolf: 18-hole minigolf course, taking turns putting with drag-to-aim physics.
• Open from day oneFour in a Row: Classic Four in a Row: drag to aim, let go to drop a chip.
• Open from day oneTic Tac Toe: Classic Tic Tac Toe, taking turns.
• Open from day oneTruth or Dare: Pick Truth or Dare each round; prompts escalate over four levels as the night goes on.
• Unlocks with your streakMatch: Flip a question card, think, then say your answer out loud at the same time. Did you match?
• Unlocks with your streakGet Spicy: Intimate question cards in three phases: Flirt, Heat, After dark.
• Unlocks with your streakPool: 8-ball pool: swipe to aim, pull to shoot, call the pocket for the 8.
• Unlocks with your streakGet Deep: Questions about yourself in three phases: Ice Breaker, Deep, Deeper.
• Unlocks with your streakCup Pong: Cup Pong: flick up to throw the ball at your partner's cups. Re-racks, bounce shots and overtime.
• Unlocks with your streakGet Silly: Silly question and challenge cards in three phases: Warm-up, Big screen, Wild.
• Unlocks with your streakSolo: A two-player shedding card game (UNO-style) with Truth Wish cards: play one and your partner answers a truth.
• Unlocks with your streakGet Romantic: Questions about the two of you in three phases: First sparks, Us now, Deeper in love.
• Unlocks with your streakChess: Full-rules chess (castling, en passant, promotion, draw offers, resign).

2. Between: best private chat for two

Between has been around since 2012. It gives you a private messenger with stickers, shared photo and video storage, a shared calendar and anniversary countdowns. The listing also mentions a free call feature and a PC version.

• Price: free with ads. Between Plus is $2.99 a month, $24.99 a year or $26.99 lifetime, and removes ads.
• Weak points: one reviewer calls it "basically a glorified messaging app" and asks for games and shared activities. Another reports messages failing on a partner's phone with no notice, and videos send one at a time.

3. Paired: best for guided daily questions

Paired sends a daily question you both answer, with answers shown once you've both replied. Premium adds 1,000+ conversations, journeys, games and quizzes and expert tips. Its App Store subtitle mentions long distance games.

• Price: one free question a day. Premium is $14.99 a month, with annual prices from $29.99 to $74.99 depending on the offer. See our Paired alternatives guide for details.
• Weak points: most content is behind Premium. Reviewers report confusion about monthly versus yearly plans and losing access to answers after the trial. Some say questions don't fit their culture or push sexual topics. It needs iOS 17 or later.

4. Widgetable: best playful widgets

Widgetable lets couples and friends share widgets: a distance widget on the lock screen, virtual pets you raise together, a plant widget and a sleep widget.

• Price: free with ads. Premium is $4.99 a month or $19.99 a year, and there are paid diamonds, pet eggs and food.
• Weak points: reviewers say free progress is slow, with long ads for small rewards, and one reports widgets turning black. It is rated 13+ and lists loot boxes. No time zone widget is mentioned.

5. Agapé: best one-question-a-day habit

One personalized question a day, answers hidden until you both reply, plus love notes, a scrapbook and an opt-in long distance category.

• Price: free; Premium from $9.99 a month, $19.99 to $99.99 a year, or $199.99 lifetime.
• Weak points: reviewers call Premium too expensive and mention "repeat but reworded questions".

6. Candle: best daily mini games

Question decks, daily photo prompts, games like Who's More Likely and Draw Duel, widgets and Thumb Kisses that vibrate when you both press the screen.

• Price: free; Premium $12.99 a month or $39.99 to $49.99 a year, plus paid streak restores and hints.
• Weak points: reviewers say the prompt library runs out quickly, and one says it needs Wi-Fi to work.

7. Couple Joy: best widgets plus questions in one app

Couple widgets, a lock screen distance tracker, countdowns, daily questions and a streak.

• Price: free; Premium listed at $12.99, $29.99 and $39.99, plus paid streak repairs.
• Weak points: one reviewer says the free plan gets one set per category, and objects to AI-generated images in an activity.

8. Lovewick: best for questions and long distance date ideas

Question sets including long distance ones, date ideas you can filter for long distance, and anniversary tracking.

• Price: free; Lovewick Plus $9.99 a month, $14.99 for three months or $29.99 a year.
• Weak points: reviewers were unhappy when the free tier dropped to one question a day, and there is no chat to discuss answers.

9. Locket: best for photos on their home screen

A live photo widget for up to 20 friends. Many couples use it as a "here's my day" feed.

• Price: free; optional Locket Gold.
• Weak points: built for friend groups, so nothing couple specific, and sent photos can't be deleted.

10. Bond Touch: best for a touch you can feel

Bracelets that connect through your phone: tap yours and your partner's vibrates and lights up.

• Price: on bond-touch.com the Bond Touch Mini is $59 and the Bond Touch 4 is $69 ($62.10 on sale when we checked), per bracelet. You need two.
• Weak points: the most expensive option here, and a tap says "thinking of you" but can't carry a conversation.

Which app should you choose? Verdict by use case

Which paid couples apps are worth the money?

• Use the free version for two weeks first. If you still open it every day, the upgrade may be worth it. If you stopped by day five, it won't be.
• Cheapest worthwhile upgrade: Between Plus at $2.99 a month, mainly to remove ads.
• Worth it for heavy users: Paired Premium if you want guided journeys and actually do them. Watch which plan you start: reviewers report trial and plan confusion.
• Often not needed: widget Premium tiers. The free widgets already do the main job.
• One subscription, two people: Paired and Between say one subscription covers both of you. Check this before you both pay.
• Free options: Cupie has no paywall right now, and Locket and TimeTree are free.

Want the bigger picture? Read whether long distance relationship apps actually work, our list of the best long distance relationship apps, and our guide to couple widget apps.