Otay vs Between
Last checked: October 21, 2026, against each app’s own website and App Store listing.
Between and Otay are both private apps for exactly two people, but they do different jobs. Between is where a couple talks all day: a messenger, voice calls, a shared calendar and a place to store photos. Otay is a small daily ritual: one photo quest you both answer, kept as a shared journal.
In their words: Between describes itself as a mobile app for couples to chat, track anniversaries, share photos and video, and plan schedules together in one private space. Otay: Otay is a private photo journal app for two people, on iPhone. Every day both of you get the same small photo quest and answer it with a back-camera photo and a selfie, a caption and a place, and your two answers sit side by side in a shared journal only the two of you can see, with a photo calendar, a map, throwbacks, a kind streak map, a wardrobe for your two little characters and Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets.
We make Otay. We have tried to be fair, and every fact about Between below comes from the sources listed at the end. If something is out of date, tell us at hi@otay.app and we will fix it.
At a glance
| Feature | Otay | Between |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | A daily photo quest you both answer, kept side by side in a shared journal | Private chat for two, plus photos, anniversaries and a shared calendar |
| Messaging | No chat. Quick taps (Hey!, Miss you, Hug?) and notes you write or draw | A full messenger with stickers, GIF selfies and free voice calls |
| Photos | One quest a day, answered with a back-camera photo and a selfie each; journal, calendar, map and throwbacks | Store photos, videos and notes; kept when you change phones |
| Dates and planning | Anniversary and reunion countdowns | Shared calendar for two, special days and automatic countdowns |
| Platforms | iPhone, iOS 17 or later (the App Store also lists iPad). Not on Android yet. | iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac |
| Free plan | Free, no time limit and no ads. You see your last 30 days of memories (at least your newest 15); older ones lock, never deleted. | Free; the Between Plus upgrade removes ads |
| One subscription for both? | Yes. When either partner subscribes to Otay Premium, both get it. | Yes. Between Plus unlocks features for you and your partner |
| Encryption | Encrypted in transit and at rest by its storage providers. Not end-to-end encrypted. | Says all data is encrypted; SSL in transit and photos encrypted in storage. No end-to-end claim found |
| App Store rating (US) | Not enough ratings for the App Store to show an average yet. | 4.8 from about 21,000 ratings |
| Paid plan (US App Store) | Otay Premium, monthly or yearly. See /pricing. | Between Plus from $2.99 a month; Lifetime $26.99 |
Between is the better pick if
- You want one private messenger and free voice calls just for the two of you.
- You plan a lot together and want a shared calendar for two.
- One of you uses Android, or you want it on a computer too.
- You want to store lots of photos and videos of any kind, not only answers to a daily prompt.
Otay is the better pick if
- You want a small daily ritual instead of another chat thread.
- You want both points of view on the same moment, side by side, every day.
- You want your memories laid out as a journal, a photo calendar and a map, with throwbacks.
- You want no ads on the free plan.
The short version
If your relationship lives in a chat, Between is the more complete couples app, and it works on Android. If you already talk enough and want something that quietly turns your days into a shared record, Otay does that one thing.
Sources
All checked on October 21, 2026.
- between.us, home page: https://between.us/?lang=en
- between.us, security page: https://between.us/policy/security/?lang=en
- Between on the App Store (US): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/between-couples-love-tracker/id458035189
- Otay on the App Store (US): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/couples-photo-journal-otay/id6769610508
- otay.app, Otay's privacy page: https://otay.app/privacy
- otay.app, Otay's pricing page: https://otay.app/pricing
Otay turns small moments into a shared journal, just for the two of you.
One small photo quest a day. You both answer, and your two halves hang side by side, in a journal with no feed, no algorithm and no ads. Free to download on the App Store.
Download Otay on the App Store
