A big con to having the iPhone is the huge bill you receive from AT&T or Verizon each month. Texting costs, data rates, and voice minutes are all large contributions to the bill. Sometimes you can even end up with a bill up to one-hundred dollars! Now you can lower your bill with this free app that allows you to call and text over 3G and WiFi. Today I’ll be giving you a review of this app. I rate each category from 1 to 10 and average them together and get a final score.

The first category I will average into the final score is the call quality, and server availability. The call quality is pretty good on your end, and on the other end it is very clear. The only problem is on the other line, the person I was calling said that there was a bit of an echo. This is not a huge problem, and they probably will not care. I got a mixed count as about half the time there was an echo on the other end. Also, when you get one of these apps, you are bound to have at least one occurrence where it will say the servers are full. With this app, it does not occur that often, and it might be a weak WiFi or 3G signal if it does happen. The call quality is great, and the server availability is awesome too, so I give the call quality, and server availability a 9.0 out of 10.

The second category is Ease of Use. The app is pretty straight forward. You just tap the pen and paper at the top right corner to start a text and choose the recipient. To make a call you tap the keypad located at the top of the screen. In the middle you have your text conversations that are going on. To send a text, tap the ellipse at the bottom of the screen. The keyboard will come up. Type your message and tap the “Send” button. Your message will be quickly sent to the recipient. To make a call, simply type in the number you want to call, and tap call. You will connect to the person you want to call, and there are no ads before you make a call. There might be a quick commercial after the call though. But, I still give the Ease of Use 8.5 out of 10.

The third category I use to rate the app at hand are the features of the app. The app features a wide variety of sounds, and ringtones that will play when you receive a call, or text. Unfortunately, you cannot use your own ringtones in Textfree. But you do have a free 411 service. It works about half the time, but the fix to make it work is to speak as clear as you can, and it will usually give you a correct number. It is very similar to the regular Phone and Messages app, and features Picture messaging in Textfree, and it’s completely, as in the name, free. There aren’t many features in the app but the ones they include are fine tuned so I give the features 9.5 out of 10.

The last category I will average in to the final score is the Value of your money. The app is free, but calling minutes will cost you, but not much. You can buy 100 minutes for $1.99, as well as earn free minutes by downloading apps that sponsor Textfree with voice. I have about 270 minutes left, and I’ve had the app since December of 2010. It will take a while to run through all the minutes you purchase. You get a lot for what you download and this app is a steal with the bills we receive each month. The value is so great I give the value of the app a perfect 10 out of 10.

It is a great app, and it deserves to be recognized for what they have done. Apps like TextNow are great, but not totally free. The app receives a 9.3 out of 10 overall, and that’s why I recommend that you at least try it. It is a great app, and the folks at Pinger deserve lots of props for it.