LINE Review

Plans & pricing

Prices last verified Nov 11, 2026

Free plan limits

Messaging, voice and video calls are free per the homepage and store descriptions; stickers, themes and some other services are paid.

Free trial

No free trial

LINE alternatives

7.4/10

WhatsApp

Free messaging and calling with default end-to-end encryption, used worldwide

Free

7.3/10

Telegram

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

Freemium

Controversies & incidents

Issues documented by the press, regulators, courts or the vendor itself. Every item is sourced; unproven claims are labelled as allegations. Last researched: Nov 11, 2026

• Medium impactConfirmedRegulator · Jul 31, 2026

  MIC guidance after LINE Games sent user data to an analytics provider

  Per MIC, Treenod (operator of LINE Games) sent user identifiers to a third-party analytics provider for nearly four years, without LY's approval and without notifying users.

  Read the full account

  Per MIC's 31 July 2026 release, Treenod, which develops and operates the LINE Games app for LY, sent user identifiers (MIDs) and other specified user information from devices to a third-party data analytics provider for advertising analysis, from 25 May 2022 to 3 April 2026. MIC states that LY did not approve this, users were not notified, and the transmissions violated Article 27-12 of the Telecommunications Business Act. MIC counts about 8.03 million instances of data (about 7.52 million involving users in Japan). LY's 16 July 2026 notice breaks this down into about 7.10 million instances tied to about 6.10 million users, plus about 0.93 million guest-play instances that could not be tied to individuals, across LINE PokoPoko, LINE Pokopang Town and LINE Pokopang. Citing Articles 27-5 and 27-12, MIC asked LY to manage specified user information properly, comply with external transmission rules, prevent recurrence and report on implementation, and sternly cautioned the company.

  Vendor response

  In its 16 July 2026 notice and apology, LY said the identifiers are random internal strings, not LINE IDs; the transmission has stopped, the ad-tool provider has deleted the data, no misuse has been found, and affected users are being notified individually. LY attributed the cause to neither it nor the partner adequately reviewing the tool's configuration when its settings changed.

  Sources:MIC press release (2026-07-31)LY Corporation notice (2026-07-16)

• Medium impactResolvedSecurity · Mar 5, 2024

  Unauthorized access via NAVER Cloud; MIC and PPC corrective actions

  Per MIC, a NAVER Cloud subcontractor was infected with malware, leading to unauthorized access to LY Corporation's systems and a breach of LINE users' communications secrecy. Both MIC and the PPC required corrective action.

  Read the full account

  On 5 March 2024 MIC issued written administrative guidance to LY Corporation, citing insufficient safety management, cybersecurity and contractor management, and asked for a fundamental review, stronger group-wide security governance and thorough user support. On 28 March 2024 the PPC issued a recommendation and a request for reports, citing inadequate technical and organizational safety management. According to The Register, over 510,000 users' data was exposed and former staff credentials sat in an Active Directory shared with NAVER; the article does not specify the data types. Wikipedia cites over 440,000 items for the October 2023 disclosure, so AppDuo does not assert a single figure. LY Corporation's page (updated 21 July 2026) lists most measures as completed: core systems separated from NAVER Cloud (March 2025), subsidiaries' systems separated (March 2026), two-factor authentication on all internal systems (October 2024) and use of NAVER technology ended (March 2026); some items, such as subcontractor management, are ongoing.

  Vendor response

  Per The Register, LINE accepted MIC's recommendations. LY Corporation filed recurrence-prevention reports with MIC on 1 April 2024 and with the PPC on 26 April 2024, followed by periodic updates, and announced on 21 July 2026 that its reporting was complete.

  Sources:MIC press release (2024-03-05)The Register (2024-03-06)LY Corporation recurrence prevention measuresLY Corporation PPC recurrence prevention page

• Medium impactResolvedPrivacy · Oct 18, 2021

  Data handled in China and stored in South Korea despite LINE saying it stayed in Japan

  Per The Register, an independent committee found LINE had outsourced some data handling to China without considering possible Chinese government access, and had wrongly told users all data was stored in Japan.

  Read the full account

  Per Wikipedia, in March 2021 it emerged that engineers at a Shanghai-based affiliate could access stored messages and personal information, and that users' photos and videos were stored on a server in South Korea. On 18 October 2021 Z Holdings released the report of its Special Advisory Committee on Global Data Governance. Per The Register, the committee said LINE had not taken Japan's economic security into account when outsourcing some data handling to China, and that LINE's claim to users that all data was stored in Japan was false. It recommended new data-security committees, accurate user communications and an understanding of the laws of the jurisdictions involved. AppDuo did not read the original report, so no further detail is given.

  Vendor response

  Per The Register, LINE apologized, promised to do better and published guidance on how it handles law-enforcement requests.

  Sources:The Register (2021-10-19)Wikipedia: Line (software)