Communication · head to head
Line vs Twist
Line
Communication
Messaging app that dominates Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, now run by LY Corporation under joint SoftBank and Naver ownership
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Line line has negligible market share outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, so it is the wrong choice for reaching contacts in most other regions.; Twist the free plan only exposes the last 1 month of comments and messages; older history is hidden until you upgrade
- They diverge on capability: Line covers Line Pay, Twist covers Topic-based chat.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Line and Twist actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Communication).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Line
- Line Pay
- Official Accounts
- Stickers and themes
- Line News
- Group and open chat
- Timeline
Only in Twist
- Topic-based chat
- Threading
- File attachments
- Search
- Notifications control
- Integrations
- Mobile apps
- Slack
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Line
- A business selling to consumers in Japan that needs an Official Account rather than email or SMS to reach customersnot Twist
- An individual keeping in touch with contacts in Japan, Taiwan or Thailand where Line, not WhatsApp, is the defaultnot Twist
- A brand running promotions through Line stickers or Timeline content aimed at a Japanese audiencenot Twist
- A company processing consumer payments in Japan through Line Pay integrationnot Twist
Twist
- Asynchronous team communication and project collaborationnot Line
- Teams requiring unlimited message history and integrationsnot Line
- Remote-first organizations minimizing synchronous meetingsnot Line
- Distributed teams across multiple time zonesnot Line
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Line
- Line has negligible market share outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, so it is the wrong choice for reaching contacts in most other regions.
- A 2021 incident exposed that some user data had been accessible from servers operated in China, which led to a formal restructuring of data governance and remains a reference point for privacy sensitive users.
- Standard chats are not end to end encrypted by default in the way Signal is; Letter Sealing, an opt-in encryption feature, has to be manually enabled per chat.
- Business messaging through Official Accounts becomes expensive quickly once a company exceeds the free monthly message allowance and moves to a metered plan.
- Ownership sits inside a SoftBank and Naver joint venture with a history of governance disputes between the two partners, which creates strategic uncertainty for enterprise customers relying on the platform long term.
Twist
- The free plan only exposes the last 1 month of comments and messages; older history is hidden until you upgrade
- The free plan caps integrations at 5 and file storage at 5 GB
- Full message history, unlimited integrations, unlimited storage and priority support all require the Unlimited plan at US$6 per user per month
- Both plans cap the workspace at 500 internal member accounts and 500 external guest accounts
Pricing, plan by plan
Line
Free- LineFree
- Free messaging, voice and video calling
- Individual sticker sets typically cost a few hundred yen each
- Line Official Account has a free tier with message volume limits, then paid tiers by monthly message count
Twist
Free- Free PlanFree
- Access up to 1 month of comments and messages
- Up to 5 integrations
- 5 GB storage
- Unlimited Plan$6/month
- Full history of comments and messages
- Unlimited integrations
- Unlimited file storage
Which should you pick?
Choose Line if
- You need line pay.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web.
- You also want official accounts.
Choose Twist if
- You need topic-based chat.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
- You also want threading.
Questions people ask
- Is Line or Twist better?
- Neither clearly leads. Line starts at Free and Twist at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Line or Twist?
- Line starts at Free and Twist at Free.
- Does Line or Twist run on more platforms?
- Line runs on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web. Twist runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Line for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Line best used for?
- Line is most often used for a business selling to consumers in japan that needs an official account rather than email or sms to reach customers, an individual keeping in touch with contacts in japan, taiwan or thailand where line, not whatsapp, is the default, a brand running promotions through line stickers or timeline content aimed at a japanese audience, a company processing consumer payments in japan through line pay integration. Of those, a business selling to consumers in japan that needs an official account rather than email or sms to reach customers and an individual keeping in touch with contacts in japan, taiwan or thailand where line, not whatsapp, is the default are not what Twist is typically brought in for.
- What can Line do that Twist cannot?
- Line covers Line Pay, Official Accounts, Stickers and themes, Line News. Twist covers Topic-based chat, Threading, File attachments, Search.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Line: Is Line encrypted by default?
Chats use standard transport encryption, but full end to end Letter Sealing encryption must be turned on manually per conversation, it is not the default.
Twist: How much does Twist cost?
Twist offers a free plan with access to 1 month of message history and 5 GB storage. The Unlimited plan costs $6 per user per month with full message history and unlimited storage.
SourceLine: Does Line work well outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand?
Technically yes, but almost nobody uses it as their primary messenger outside those markets, so it is the wrong choice to reach most other audiences.
Twist: What is included in Twist's free plan?
The free plan includes access to up to one month of comments and messages, up to 5 integrations, 5 GB storage, and standard support.
SourceLine: Who owns Line now?
LY Corporation, formed from a merger of Line and Yahoo Japan businesses, controlled by A Holdings, a joint venture between SoftBank and Naver.
Twist: How is Twist priced for large teams?
Organizations with 200+ employees should contact [email protected] for custom enterprise pricing. Single-channel guests remain free on both tiers, while multi-channel guests on Unlimited are billed as regular members.
SourceRelated pages
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