# Gate Guide vs Essential Sci

The clearest difference is ads: Gate Guide at none against Essential Sci's shown. Gate Guide also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (100 vs 31). Essential Sci's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Gate Guide sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Essential Sci sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Gate Guide holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 100 and 31 respectively.

Gate Guide ships an update every 3 months, Essential Sci every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Gate Guide | Essential Sci |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (100 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gate-guide-a-stargate-guide/id1257317717/reviews)** | [4.5 (31 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essential-sci-fi-channel/id1635437392/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **100** | 31 |
| Positive reviews | 88.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 10 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **16.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Digital Tools Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/852921471) | [MacMillan Interactive Communications, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/820481297) |

## What reviewers say

### Gate Guide

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gate-guide-a-stargate-guide/id1257317717)

Easily track your progress through the Stargate universe. Filter episodes by show, air date, or rating to never lose your place during a re-watch. Get stats for your next binge-watching session.

**Highlights:** Filter by show (SG-1, SGA, SGU), Filter by original air date, Filter by episode rating, Track watched episodes, Binge-watching stats, Simple interface

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $0.99 | one-time |
| Gate Guide Pro | $1.99 | one-time |


### Essential Sci

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essential-sci-fi-channel/id1635437392)

Stream a vast library of science fiction movies and TV shows for free. Subscribe monthly to enjoy an ad-free viewing experience and access premium content.

**Highlights:** Hundreds of hours of sci-fi content, Free streaming, Monthly ad-free subscription, Watch on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, iPod

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Essential Sci-Fi Subscription | $5.99 | per month |
| Essential Sci-Fi Yearly Sub | $69.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Gate Guide free?

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

### Is Essential Sci free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Gate Guide or Essential Sci?

Gate Guide is rated higher. Gate Guide averages 4.8 out of 5 from 100 ratings, while Essential Sci averages 4.5 from 31 ratings.

### Do Gate Guide or Essential Sci have ads?

Essential Sci shows ads; Gate Guide does not.

### Which is updated more often, Gate Guide or Essential Sci?

Gate Guide ships an update every 3 months, and Essential Sci every 6 weeks. Most recently, Gate Guide was updated on October 16, 2026 and Essential Sci on October 4, 2026.

---

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