Long distance relationship apps: nine read on October 15, 2026, sorted by the problem each solves
Long distance relationship apps do five jobs. They show the same hour, put a photo on a lock screen, play a film in sync, ask a daily question and count the days to a visit. Pick by the job, because some of the nine charge for the very part a couple apart opens them for.
In short
Among long distance relationship apps, Time Buddy fixes the hours and is free to install, with one Upgrade line at $2.99. Locket and Widgetable fill the days between calls, and Locket stops at 20 friends.
Teleparty and Hearo sync a film, though Teleparty holds 2.8 stars on iPhone. Paired and Agapé ask a daily question and sell Premium. Cupla’s free tier shows your partner’s events only in a limited window around today (Cupla help).
Best apps for long distance relationships, by the problem you have
Our wider list is ten apps for couples. This page goes deeper on distance, and every row comes from the app’s own listing.
| Your problem | Pick | Why, from the listing |
|---|---|---|
| No shared free hour | Time Buddy | Light tiles mark awake hours in both cities |
| Two separate calendars | Cupla | Both schedules side by side; its blog says it converts event times |
| Feeling present between calls | Locket, Widgetable | Their photo on your Home Screen; Widgetable adds a Distance Widget and a Miss You Widget |
| Watching together | Teleparty, Hearo | Synced playback with chat |
| Calls that go past “how was your day” | Paired, Agapé | One question a day; Agapé has a Long Distance Relationship category |
| Hours that never match | Marco Polo | Send a video, get one back, on your own schedule |
| Private space, visit countdown | Between | Photos, notes and a countdown to shared dates |
The clocks change on different Sundays this month
UK clocks go back on October 25, 2026 (GOV.UK) and US clocks on November 1 (NIST). For that week London and New York sit 4 hours apart instead of 5.
Time Buddy’s listing promises daylight saving warnings one week ahead. The weekly call plan sheet writes every hour in both zones.
Apps for long distance couples, side by side
Prices are the In-App Purchases lines on each US App Store listing. The store prints at most ten lines and does not label the period.
| App | Free, and what paid costs | App Store rating; Google Play where read |
|---|---|---|
| Locket Widget | Free, up to 20 friends. Locket Gold lines $1.99 to $36.00 | 4.8 from 579K · Play 4.6 from 396K |
| Widgetable | Free. Premium annual $19.99, monthly $4.99 and $1.99, plus $0.99 to $4.99 packs | 4.9 from 387K · Play 4.7 from 571K |
| Teleparty | Free. Premium yearly $49.99, monthly $6.59; its description says $49.95 and $6.95 | 2.8 from 828 · Play 3.9 from 13.1K |
| Marco Polo | Free, unlimited chats. Plus $9.99 and $79.99; Family $19.99 and $159.99 | 4.8 from 2.2M · Play 4.6 from 314K |
| Between | Free. Plus 1 month $2.99, 1 year $24.99, Lifetime $26.99; the description says 1 year $13.99 | 4.8 from 21.2K · Play 4.4 from 537K, ads badge |
| Cupla | Free, partner view limited (help). Monthly $4.99 to $7.99, yearly $34.99 to $59.99 | 4.7 from 2.3K · Play 4.0 from 1.1K |
| Paired | One free question a day (FAQ). Site: $79.99 per couple a year; store: $14.99 monthly, annual $39.99 to $74.99 | 4.7 from 209K · Play 4.6 from 64K |
| Agapé | “Free to download and free to use”, premium categories extra. Annual $19.99 to $99.99, Lifetime $199.99 | 4.8 from 26.2K · Android not confirmed |
| Time Buddy | Free. One Upgrade line, $2.99 | 4.8 from 14.0K · last iPhone update November 26, 2020 |
| Alpacto (ours) | — | — |
Long distance couple apps free: one complaint per app, from the latest reviews
Each line is a low-rated review from the app’s public US review feed, with its date. Treat them as things to test in the first week.
- Locket, October 12, 2026: “Only lets you have twenty friends and won’t let you use filters unless you pay for premium”.
- Widgetable, October 13, 2026: “I have to watch ads just to keep my pets from running away”.
- Teleparty, October 11, 2026: “you have to send a link instead of just adding friends and joining party”.
- Marco Polo, October 13, 2026: “they put so many features behind a paywall”.
- Between, September 18, 2026: “now 90% of the pictures won’t show up in the app”, after seven years of use.
- Cupla, September 15, 2026: “Like viewing more than a week in advance” now needs a subscription.
- Paired, October 11, 2026: “The free version has nothing but a daily check in”. Paired’s FAQ says one question a day is free, so test it on day one.
- Agapé, October 7, 2026: “they demand $24 annual payment before you can use it”, against a listing that says free to use.
- Time Buddy, February 21, 2026: “when you try to upgrade or pay to remove the ads, it just hangs”.
Hearo is free to install, with Premium lines at $9.99 and $69.99, and rates 4.3 from 8.0K. A review from October 7 says an anime episode on Crunchyroll “constantly gave me an error”.
A week on long distance relationship apps: three free ones
Time Buddy, Locket and Paired’s free question cost nothing to start. This is one week for two people in two zones, and any other trio from the table slots into the same days.
- Sunday: open Time Buddy, add both cities, and book the week’s calls on light tiles. Write them where you both see them.
- Monday and Thursday: answer the Paired question before the call, and read the two answers during it.
- Tuesday and Friday: no call. Send one Locket photo of what is in front of you, and answer theirs with a reaction.
- Wednesday: a short call with one thing from your week to tell.
- Saturday: a watch night on Teleparty or Hearo. Join ten minutes early; reviewers report setup trouble.
- Sunday again: the standing call. Before you hang up, book next Sunday and write down the date of the next visit.
What to say and do on those evenings is in 40 long distance relationship ideas.
Where an app cannot help, and where a pact can
The nine long distance relationship apps above carry a photo, a clock or a question. None holds the sentence I will call you Sunday evening, your time in a form you can both check on Monday.
Alpacto is our own app. Its home page describes tasks and routines between people, not video, photos or clocks. For a couple apart the use is a routine: the call you owe each other, with a day, that the other person confirms.
Both of you see the same card. Coins are not money; they buy rewards from a list you wrote for each other, such as choosing the next watch night.
Questions people ask
What are the best apps for long distance relationships?
It depends on the problem you have: Time Buddy for the hours, Locket for photos, Teleparty for films, Between for a private space, Paired for a daily question. The table above sets each against its price.
Which long distance couple apps are free?
All ten we read are free to install on the US App Store, and each sells a paid tier. The free tiers differ, as the table shows: Cupla limits your partner’s calendar view and Locket stops at 20 friends.
Is there an app for LDR couples that shows both time zones?
Time Buddy shows any two cities in one column of hours. Cupla’s blog says it converts event times automatically, though its App Store listing does not mention time zones.
Do we both need to pay?
For Paired and Cupla one subscription covers the couple, per their own pages. Between says Plus opens features “for you & your partner”. For the rest we could not confirm it, so ask before paying.
Which dating app is best for a long distance relationship?
We did not compare dating apps. These LDR apps are for people who already are a couple, and they start after the first date.
When the call is agreed and keeps slipping
Alpacto turns what two people agreed into a pact both signed: what counts as done, by when, and what it is worth in coins. It does not carry your calls; it keeps the promise to make them.