# The Refinery vs Annabel's

The clearest difference is update cadence: Annabel's at fortnightly against The Refinery's every 19 months. The Refinery's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

The Refinery ships an update every 19 months, Annabel's fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The Refinery | Annabel's |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 19 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Size | 11 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [gappt.](https://appshunter.io/developer/536604084) | [Birley Clubs](https://appshunter.io/developer/1600990647) |

## What reviewers say

### The Refinery

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-refinery/id1238763700)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Annabel's

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/annabels/id6774604541)

**Features:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The Refinery free?

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

### Is Annabel's free?

Annabel's is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do The Refinery or Annabel's have ads?

Neither The Refinery nor Annabel's shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, The Refinery or Annabel's?

The Refinery ships an update every 19 months, and Annabel's fortnightly. Most recently, The Refinery was updated on October 9, 2026 and Annabel's on October 24, 2026.

---

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