GroupMe

Communication

8.1~~/10~~

Our score

★ 4.6 Google Play·10M+ installs

Reviewed by Editorial Team, ScoredApps editorial · updated 2026-09-05

Screenshots

Group chat with message reactions and photo sharing

Topic list inside a group with announcements and schedules

Event page collecting RSVPs with date, time and location

Share sheet offering a link, QR code and SMS invitation

About GroupMe

GroupMe is a group chat app built for organising people who are not all in one messenger: members can join from a link, a QR code or plain SMS, without everyone needing the same phone. Groups split into topics, events collect RSVPs, and profiles carry interest tags. It is free with no advertising badge and no in-app purchases, and Microsoft owns it.

App information

DeveloperSkype Communications S.a.r.l

Version16.11.6 (Android) · 16.11 (iOS)

Size191.8 MB (Android) · 396 MB (iOS)

Price / In-appFree

Contains adsNo

In-app purchasesNo

Content rating13+

Requires (Android)Android 9+

Requires (iOS)iOS 16.0+

Offline modeNone — messages, topics and events need a connection

Interface languagesNL, EN, FR, DE, ID, IT + 8 more

Store rating (Google Play)4.6 from 613,019 ratings

Installs10M+

Updated by developer2026-09-04

Data checked2026-09-07

Specs come from the official store listings and were last checked on 2026-09-07. Developers change pricing and requirements — check the store page before installing.

GroupMe Review: People Can Join Over Plain SMS

Joining Does Not Require the App

The share sheet offers a link, a QR code and handoffs to Snapchat, Instagram, iMessage and WhatsApp, and the group can be joined by phone number over SMS — a detail that matters for a class, a team or a neighbourhood where somebody will always refuse to install anything. That is the practical difference from Discord or Telegram: the lowest common denominator is a text message rather than an account. Groups show member counts in the hundreds or thousands in the store examples. Group sizes in the store examples run from several hundred to several thousand members, which is the scale this app is built for.

Topics, Events and RSVPs Inside a Group

A large group splits into topics — Announcements, Lost & Found, Random, Highlights, Schedule — each with its own unread count, so a hall of residence or a club does not run as one unreadable stream. Events sit in the same place: a date, a time, a location and a list of who is coming, with an add-to-calendar link and RSVP counts visible to everyone. Polls, reactions and photo sharing round it out, and profiles carry interest tags and a chosen anthem track. Everything sits inside one group rather than across separate apps, so a club's schedule and its chatter stay together.

Free, No Ads, but Eight Data Categories

There are no in-app purchases and no advertising badge on the Play listing, which is unusual for a free messenger with ten million installs. The trade appears in the data safety card: eight collected categories including messages, with personal information, app activity and two others shared with third parties. Ratings are 4.7 on the App Store and 4.6 across 612,000 Play reviews, and the Android build is updated regularly rather than left to age. For a Microsoft-owned app with no revenue inside it, the data card is the only part worth scrutinising.

Pros

Members can join by SMS without installing anything
Topics split a large group into readable threads
Events collect RSVPs with an add-to-calendar link
No advertising and no in-app purchases
Rated 4.7 on the App Store across 1.5 million ratings

Cons

Messages are among the eight collected data categories
Four data types shared with third parties
Smaller user base than the mainstream messengers
SMS members miss photos and reactions in the app

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Verdict

The right tool for organising a group that is not already on one messenger — SMS joining removes the argument entirely, and topics keep a few hundred people readable. It costs nothing, shows no advertising and sells nothing, which is rare. The one thing to know before using it for anything sensitive: messages are listed among the collected data, and four categories are shared with third parties.

Core function8.5Group chat that works whether or not everyone has the app, with topics keeping it readable.

Ease of use8.5Join by link or text, and the topic list explains itself without configuration.

Monetisation9.0No advertising badge and no in-app purchases anywhere in the app.

Performance7.5Handles busy groups and photo threads without lag, at a moderate install size.

Privacy & permissions6.0Eight categories collected including messages, with four shared with third parties.

8.1out of 10 · weighted average of the five scores above

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Frequently asked questions

Is GroupMe free?

Yes, completely — no subscription, no in-app purchases and no advertising badge on the Play listing. Standard message rates apply only for members participating over SMS rather than through the app, which is a carrier charge rather than something GroupMe collects.

How do people join without the app?

A group can be shared as a link or QR code, or a member can be added by phone number and take part over plain SMS. Their messages appear in the group like anyone else's. Photos, reactions and topics are app-only, so SMS members get a plainer version of the conversation.

Are there paid features?

None. The listing shows no in-app purchases at all, and there is no premium tier for larger groups or extra storage. Microsoft owns the app and runs it without advertising, which is worth stating plainly because free messengers usually monetise somewhere.

What are topics for?

Splitting one large group into separate threads — announcements, schedules, lost property, general chatter — each with its own unread badge. It is the feature that makes a group of several hundred people usable, and it is why student halls and sports clubs favour this app.

What are the alternatives?

WhatsApp reaches more people but requires everyone to install it and share a phone number. Discord handles topics better and SMS not at all. This one wins for a group where somebody will never install a messenger, which describes most real-world organisations.