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Source-backed analysis13

Review basis

The AppDuo team prepared this review by analysing product features, official documentation and user feedback to help you understand its strengths, limitations and suitability for your needs.

13 reference sources

Information updated Nov 10, 2026

How we review
Facebook logo

Facebook Review

The world's biggest social network: feed, Groups, Marketplace, Reels and Stories

6.6/10

By · Updated

  • Web
  • iOS
  • Android
Free · Free
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On this page

Decide at a glance

Our verdict

Facebook is still one of the few places that combines friends, community Groups, Marketplace and short video in one free app, with 4.5–4.6/5 store ratings across tens of millions of reviews. The trade-offs are very broad data collection, personalised ads and widely criticised customer support, especially when an account is locked.

Best for: People who want to stay in touch with friends and family and join interest- or location-based Groups

Skip it if: Privacy-first users, since data feeds ad and AI personalisation

Pros

  • Free, with feed, Groups, Marketplace, Reels, Stories and messaging in one ecosystem
  • High store ratings: 4.5/5 from more than 29 million on the US App Store and 4.6/5 from more than 186 million on Google Play
  • 32 interface languages on the App Store, Vietnamese included, and 10B+ downloads on Google Play

Cons

  • Only 1.2/5 on Trustpilot from about 18,730 reviews, mostly about account lockouts, verification loops and no human support (the profile is unclaimed, so the sample may be skewed)
  • Broad data policy; the App Store label lists many data types linked to you and three used for tracking
All pros and cons · Who is it for?

Pros

  • Offers a Privacy Center and per-product privacy controls

Cons

  • A heavy app (about 548 MB on iOS) with generic release notes

Best for

  • Anyone buying or selling second-hand items locally through Marketplace
  • Individuals and small businesses wanting a ready-made audience to reach

Skip it if

  • People who need a reliable human support channel if an account is locked or lost

Experience & key features

What is Facebook?

Facebook launched on 4 February 2004 as TheFacebook, created by Mark Zuckerberg and fellow Harvard students and initially open only to Harvard College students. It dropped the "the" in 2005 after buying the facebook.com domain and opened to anyone aged 13 or over in 2006. On 28 October 2021 the parent company was renamed Meta; the app kept the Facebook name. Meta's Q3 2026 results (21 October 2026) report 3.64 billion daily active people across its Family of Apps (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and others) in September 2026; Meta does not break out Facebook alone.

Key features

The App Store description lists a personalised feed, Reels (short video), Stories, Groups, Friends, Marketplace, messaging, Meta AI and AI tools for generating stickers and images. You can choose who sees your posts, and the listing shows parental controls and age assurance (rated 13+ on the US App Store, 16+ on the Vietnamese one). Beyond the app, Facebook works on the web. Meta Verified (a verification badge, impersonation protection and enhanced support) is an optional paid subscription on Facebook and Instagram.

Pricing and value

Facebook is free to download and use, with revenue coming from advertising. The US App Store lists in-app purchases from $0.99 to $19.99, mostly Stars bundles (to support creators) and Supporter tiers at $2.49 and $4.99; in Vietnam, Supporter is 47,000 ₫ and Stars bundles run from 9,000 ₫ to 599,000 ₫. Meta Verified is a separate subscription and the official page says features and pricing vary by region, so there is no single price. For ordinary users, the real cost is personal data and ads rather than money.

More analysis

Who it's for and how it compares

Facebook suits people who want friends, Groups and Marketplace in one place. If you mainly share photos and Reels, Instagram (also from Meta) may fit better; for pure short video there is TikTok; for end-to-end encrypted messaging, Signal; for large groups and channels, Telegram; and in Vietnam, Zalo is the familiar messaging app. Anyone who values privacy or needs quick help with account problems should weigh the weaknesses above carefully.

Screenshots

Marketplace: buying and selling items inside the app
Marketplace: buying and selling items inside the app
Groups: communities built around interests and places
Groups: communities built around interests and places
Home screen with the feed and Stories
Home screen with the feed and Stories
Reels: short videos you can watch and post
Reels: short videos you can watch and post

Plans & pricing

Prices last verified Nov 10, 2026

Facebook (miễn phí / free)

Free

Free to download and use, supported by ads. The US App Store lists in-app purchases from $0.99 to $19.99, including Stars bundles (a virtual currency for supporting creators) and "Supporter" tiers ($2.49 and $4.99). On the Vietnamese App Store, Supporter is 47,000 ₫ and Stars bundles run from 9,000 ₫ to 599,000 ₫.

Free plan limits
Core features (feed, Groups, Marketplace, Reels, Stories, messaging) are free. Paid subscriptions such as Meta Verified are optional; the Meta Verified page says features and pricing vary by region and app, so no specific price is quoted here.
Free trial
No free trial
Cancellation & refunds

There is no mandatory paid plan. In-app purchases on iOS and Android are refunded under Apple's or Google's policies; the Meta pages consulted for this review do not publish a separate refund policy.

Privacy

Meta's Privacy Policy (effective 23 July 2026) says Meta collects your activity and the information you provide, your friends and connections, app, browser and device information, and data from partners and other third parties; some information is collected even if you have no account. The data is used to personalise AI features, content recommendations, feeds and ads, mostly through automated processing, though staff sometimes review it manually. Meta states it does not sell your information to anyone, but shares it with advertisers, analytics partners, commerce partners and service providers. On the plus side there is a Privacy Center and per-product settings. On the minus side, the App Store privacy label lists a very long set of data types linked to your identity (location, contacts, search and browsing history, financial info, health and fitness, sensitive info) plus three types used for tracking, and in 2019 the FTC imposed a $5 billion penalty on Facebook for violating its 2012 privacy order.

Official pricing page

Facebook alternatives

Facebook logoVSFriendster (2026 relaunch) logoFacebook vs Friendster (2026 relaunch)
Telegram logo7.3/10

Telegram

Cross-platform cloud messaging with 200,000-member groups, channels and bots

Freemium
Reddit logo6.8/10

Reddit

A vast forum of 100,000+ topic communities, from news to niche hobbies

Freemium
All alternatives

Frequently asked questions

Is Facebook free?

Yes. Downloading and using the main features is free, with ads. In-app purchases (Stars, Supporter) and Meta Verified are optional.

Does Meta sell my data?

Meta's privacy policy states it does not sell your information to anyone. Information is still used to personalise ads, feeds and AI, and may be shared with advertisers, analytics partners and service providers.

What is the difference between Facebook and Meta?

Meta is the parent company, renamed from Facebook, Inc. on 28 October 2021. Facebook remains the name of the app, alongside Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp in Meta's family of apps.

Which platforms is Facebook available on?

There are apps for iPhone/iPad (iOS 15.1 or later per the App Store) and Android, plus the web version at facebook.com. The App Store lists 32 languages, Vietnamese included.

Review evidence & sources13

Scores

Ease of use
7.5
Why this score

High store scores in several markets and a familiar layout for billions of people, but the interface packs in many sections (Reels, Marketplace, Groups, Stories, AI tools), and many Trustpilot reviewers complain about login verification steps.

Features
8.5
Why this score

The App Store description lists Marketplace, a personalised feed, Reels, Groups, Stories, messaging, Meta AI and AI-generated stickers and images; few social apps cover as much. Held below 9 because several areas (short video, messaging, selling) have more specialised rivals.

Value for money
8.0
Why this score

Core features are free; paid items (Supporter, Stars, Meta Verified) are all optional. The real cost is personal data and ads.

Performance
7.0
Why this score

No independent speed data. Notes for iOS version 586.0.0 (4 Nov 2026) only say many crashes were fixed and the app made faster; the download is about 548 MB. A middling score because concrete evidence is thin.

Support
4.5
Why this score

There is a multilingual Help Center. 24/7 email and chat support is limited to Meta Verified subscribers, and the Meta Verified page notes it may not be available to all of them. Trustpilot (1.2/5) carries many complaints about not reaching a person and unanswered appeals.

Privacy & security
3.8
Why this score

A Privacy Center exists and Meta says it does not sell data. But collection is very broad (even without an account), used for ads and AI, the App Store label shows three data types used for tracking, the FTC imposed a $5 billion penalty in 2019, and the EU fined Meta €200 million over its pay-or-consent model in 2025.

What users say

Sources

Specs & compatibility
Developer
Meta Platforms, Inc.
Headquarters
United States
Launched
2004
Category
Social

Capabilities

  • AI features
  • Mobile app

Platforms

  • Web
  • iOS
  • Android

Interface languages

  • English
  • Vietnamese
  • Japanese
  • Chinese
  • Spanish
  • French
  • Korean
  • German
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Thai
  • Indonesian

Integrations

  • Messenger
  • Instagram
  • WhatsApp
  • Marketplace

Support

  • Help center

Change history

  1. Update.Q3 2026 results: Meta's Family of Apps reaches 3.64 billion daily active people on average in September 2026.
  2. Update.Meta's Privacy Policy version dated 23 July 2026 takes effect.
  3. Company.The EU fines Meta €200 million under the Digital Markets Act over its pay-or-consent model.
Full change history (7)
  1. Company.Parent company Facebook, Inc. is renamed Meta at Connect 2021; the app keeps the Facebook name.
  2. Company.The FTC announces a $5 billion penalty, the largest privacy penalty ever imposed on a company, with new privacy restrictions running for 20 years.
  3. Update.Facebook passes 1 billion monthly active users.
  4. Launch.Mark Zuckerberg and fellow Harvard students launch TheFacebook, initially limited to Harvard College students.
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