Comparison

UCSF Eureka Research vs Skinly

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

UCSF Eureka Research

Participate in real medical research studies from your smartphone to help solve major health issues. Contribute to world-changing research with top universities and make a significant impact on causes you care about.

Highlights
  • Join medical research studies
  • Contribute to health problem solutions
  • Participate via smartphone
  • Support top research universities
  • Track impact on health causes
Features
Read full description

Eureka makes it easy to join real medical studies and help solve the world’s biggest health problems—including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, mental illness, healthcare inequities and more. It’s now easier than ever to have a big impact on causes you care about . All it takes to contribute to world-changing research with Eureka is a smartphone and a little bit of free time. Team up with millions of other study participants helping top researchers from research universities like UCSF, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins to answer questions like, “What signals from my smartphone might predict heart disease?” and “How does physical activity affect cancer risk?” Eureka is a non-profit resource built by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco with support from the National Institutes of Health. If you have questions about signing up or your current participation, reach out to us at support@eurekaplatform.org. For the studies that are on our app, we are not currently pulling HealthKit data but are collecting approval for future use. We use the CareKit framework in our application but do not connect to it in any other way.

About

Skinly

This application is part of a closed study focused on facial skin analysis. It requires a separate device and an invitation-only access code for study participants to guide measurement procedures and track progress.

Highlights
  • Facial skin analysis
  • Guided measurement procedures
  • Progress tracking
  • Closed study participation
  • Requires separate device
Features
Read full description

The Skinly app is part of a closed study on facial skin. A separate device is required to use the app. INVITATION ONLY: Device and access code to use the app are only available to participants of the closed Skinly study. The Skinly app guides the study participants through measurement procedures and keeps track of their progress. The application phase for the study is closed.

Screenshots

UCSF Eureka Research4 screens
Skinly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: UCSF Eureka Research at 329 against Skinly's 10. On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.1 for UCSF Eureka Research against 3.2 for Skinly. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: UCSF Eureka Research has 329 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 22% of UCSF Eureka Research's written reviews are positive against 28% of Skinly's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

UCSF Eureka Research ships an update every 5 weeks, Skinly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
UCSF Eureka Research versus Skinly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUCSF Eureka ResearchSkinly
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (329 ratings)3.2 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.2% of reviews28.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings329 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB192 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperUniversity of California at San FranciscoBeiersdorf Shared Services GmbH

Customer experience

UCSF Eureka Research

All ratings329 ratings
Positive47.1%
Neutral11.2%
Negative41.6%
Written reviews117 reviews
Positive22.2%
Neutral16.2%
Negative61.5%

Skinly

All ratings10 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews39 reviews
Positive28.2%
Neutral5.1%
Negative66.7%

Bugs and requests

UCSF Eureka Research

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes during data entry
  • Login issues, unable to reset password
  • Incompatible with certain devices (e.g., jailbroken, older devices)
  • Unexpected behavior when trying to opt out or delete account

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improve stability and reliability
  • Provide better instructions and guidance
  • Add support for international users
  • Improve battery optimization

Skinly

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

UCSF Eureka Research

No in-app purchases

None

Skinly

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is UCSF Eureka Research free?
UCSF Eureka Research is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Skinly free?
Skinly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, UCSF Eureka Research or Skinly?
Skinly is rated higher. UCSF Eureka Research averages 3.1 out of 5 from 329 ratings, while Skinly averages 3.2 from 10 ratings.
Do UCSF Eureka Research or Skinly have ads?
Neither UCSF Eureka Research nor Skinly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, UCSF Eureka Research or Skinly?
UCSF Eureka Research ships an update every 5 weeks, and Skinly every 3 weeks. Most recently, UCSF Eureka Research was updated on October 14, 2026 and Skinly on October 12, 2026.

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