# Thumsters vs Max Pain

The clearest difference is price: Thumsters at Free against Max Pain's $1.99. Thumsters also leads on ratings volume (874 vs 2) and device support (4 vs 1). Max Pain's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and review sentiment (100% vs 69%). On ads there is nothing between them.

Thumsters is free to download; Max Pain costs $1.99 up front. Thumsters sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Max Pain asks for nothing beyond the download.

Max Pain holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thumsters has 874 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 69% of Thumsters's written reviews are positive against 100% of Max Pain's.

Thumsters ships an update fortnightly, Max Pain every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Thumsters | Max Pain |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (874 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thumsters-behavior-tracker/id1274298804/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/max-pain/id6809185796/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **874** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 68.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 92 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | +4 | 9+ |
| Developer | [KØBEN digital](https://appshunter.io/developer/1225099509) | [Anthony Rivera](https://appshunter.io/developer/6796197223) |

## What reviewers say

### Thumsters

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thumsters-behavior-tracker/id1274298804)

This app helps parents foster positive behavior and build stronger connections with their children through a reward-based tracking system. It offers tools for habit formation, emotional coaching, and consistent parenting across multiple caregivers, designed for children aged 4-12.

**Highlights:** Real-time behavior tracking (thumbs up/down), Kid-friendly chore list and reward system, Emotional coaching and awareness tools, Multi-device syncing for caregivers, Customizable reward system, Designed for ages 4-12

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Premium Subscription | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Premium Subscription | $7.99 | per month |
| Monthly Premium Subscription | $12.99 | per month |
| 6 Month Premium Subscription | $39.99 | per 6 months |
| Yearly Premium Subscription | $47.99 | per year |
| 6 month premium subscription | $59.99 | per 6 months |
| ThumbsUp full account - 1 year | $79.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app for tracking daily behavior
- 👍 Friendly and intuitive UX
- 👍 Effective reward system with thumbs up/down
- 👍 Customizable goals and reasons
- 👍 Helpful for improving kids' behavior

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs, especially when adding photos
- 🔋 App drains battery quickly
- 🔒 Issues with account syncing and multi-device access
- 🔒 Lack of child-specific profile and controls
- 🔒 Too many steps required to give thumbs up/down

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when adding child profiles
- Sync issues between devices
- Thumbs up/down disappearing or not registering properly
- Inconsistent behavior after app updates

**Requested features**

- Allow kids to track their own progress
- Add more customization options for goals and rewards
- Implement better reporting and analytics
- Improve Apple Watch integration
- Simplify the process of giving thumbs up/down


### Max Pain

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/max-pain/id6809185796)

This app acts as an on-device accountability coach, verifying your fitness efforts through Apple Health data. Choose your coach's personality and intensity to stay motivated for workouts or deep work sessions. It requires a one-time purchase and no subscription.

**Highlights:** On-device accountability coach, Verifies fitness via Apple Health, Customizable coach personalities, Adjustable intensity levels, Supports any Apple Health compatible device, One-time purchase, no subscription

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Thumsters free?

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

### Is Max Pain free?

Max Pain costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Thumsters or Max Pain?

Max Pain is rated higher. Thumsters averages 4.7 out of 5 from 874 ratings, while Max Pain averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Thumsters or Max Pain have ads?

Neither Thumsters nor Max Pain shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Thumsters or Max Pain?

Thumsters ships an update fortnightly, and Max Pain every 4 days. Most recently, Thumsters was updated on October 26, 2026 and Max Pain on October 31, 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.*