# absence.io vs Protege Mobile

The clearest difference is rating: absence.io at 4.6 against Protege Mobile's 2.7. absence.io also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). Protege Mobile's advantage is review sentiment (17% vs 0%). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Protege Mobile sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. absence.io asks for nothing beyond the download.

absence.io holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 50 and 13 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of absence.io's written reviews are positive against 17% of Protege Mobile's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

absence.io ships an update every 2 months, Protege Mobile every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | absence.io | Protege Mobile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (50 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/absenceio/id1001554288/reviews)** | [2.7 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/protege-mobile/id1134719924/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **50** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **17.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 23 MB | 63 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [absence.io GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1001554287) | [Integrated Control Technology Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/420800746) |

## What reviewers say

### absence.io

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/absenceio/id1001554288)

Easily manage employee absences and track work hours on your mobile device. Plan vacations, view team schedules, and record time with a single click. Ideal for efficient daily management of your team's time and leave.

**Highlights:** Absence planning and vacation day management, Team absence calendar overview, Absence request approval (for HR), One-click start/stop time clock, Real-time overtime recording, Time entry management (for HR)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Protege Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/protege-mobile/id1134719924)

Monitor and control your building's security and systems remotely from your smartphone. Arm or disarm alarms, manage doors, lights, heating, and view camera feeds from anywhere, anytime. Receive instant alerts for system activity.

**Highlights:** Remote system monitoring, Arm/disarm alarms, Control doors and locks, Manage lights and heating, View camera feeds, Receive push notifications

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Push Notifications | $11.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is absence.io free?

absence.io is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Protege Mobile free?

Protege Mobile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, absence.io or Protege Mobile?

absence.io is rated higher. absence.io averages 4.6 out of 5 from 50 ratings, while Protege Mobile averages 2.7 from 13 ratings.

### Do absence.io or Protege Mobile have ads?

Neither absence.io nor Protege Mobile shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, absence.io or Protege Mobile?

absence.io ships an update every 2 months, and Protege Mobile every 4 months. Most recently, absence.io was updated on October 7, 2026 and Protege Mobile on October 20, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*