# insta vs Hotstash

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: insta at none against Hotstash's 1. insta also leads on iOS requirement (14.1 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hotstash sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. insta asks for nothing beyond the download.

insta ships an update every 2 weeks, Hotstash fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | insta | Hotstash |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/insta-note/id1067575526/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 2 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jordan Doczy](https://appshunter.io/developer/1062387752) | [Zeyad Amer](https://appshunter.io/developer/6771842607) |

## What reviewers say

### insta

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/insta-note/id1067575526)

Organize your photos with captions, tags, and locations. This app helps you create, edit, and easily search through your cherished memories.

**Highlights:** Add captions to photos, Tag photos for easy searching, Attach locations to memories, Create and edit photo memories, Searchable photo library

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hotstash

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hotstash/id6771842605)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hotstash | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is insta free?

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

### Is Hotstash free?

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

### Do insta or Hotstash have ads?

Neither insta nor Hotstash shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, insta or Hotstash?

insta ships an update every 2 weeks, and Hotstash fortnightly. Most recently, insta was updated on October 7, 2026 and Hotstash on October 8, 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.*