# Highlands, Deep Waters vs Heart's Choice

The clearest difference is price: Heart's Choice at Free against Highlands, Deep Waters's $6.99. Heart's Choice also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 13 months) and ratings volume (304 vs 28). Highlands, Deep Waters's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and review sentiment (95% vs 86%). On rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Heart's Choice is free to download; Highlands, Deep Waters costs $6.99 up front. Heart's Choice sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Highlands, Deep Waters asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Highlands, Deep Waters against 4.7 for Heart's Choice. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Heart's Choice has 304 ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 95% of Highlands, Deep Waters's written reviews are positive against 86% of Heart's Choice's.

Highlands, Deep Waters ships an update every 13 months, Heart's Choice every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Highlands, Deep Waters | Heart's Choice |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $6.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.6 (28 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/highlands-deep-waters/id1288269331/reviews) | **[4.7 (304 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearts-choice/id1487052276/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 28 | **304** |
| Positive reviews | **95.5% of reviews** | 85.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 13 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 39 MB | 87 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Hosted Games LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/482415564) | [Hearts Choice LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1487051045) |

## What reviewers say

### Highlands, Deep Waters

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/highlands-deep-waters/id1288269331)

Unravel a dark mystery in a Scottish town, uncovering cultists and abyssal horrors. Your choices shape the narrative of this text-based interactive novel, where you play as a detective, criminal, or scholar.

**Highlights:** Interactive text-based story, Choice-driven narrative, Deduction system for clues, Sanity system, Character role selection, Hand-drawn maps and lore

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Heart's Choice

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearts-choice/id1487052276)

Immerse yourself in interactive romance novels where your choices shape the narrative and lead to your desired happily ever after. Explore diverse stories with fully developed characters and complex plots, catering to various preferences and orientations.

**Highlights:** Choose your own path, Interactive romance novels, Branching narratives, Player-driven endings, Diverse characters and orientations, Multiple spice levels

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Jazz Age | $4.99 | one-time |
| Belle-de-Nuit | $4.99 | one-time |
| Brimstone Manor | $4.99 | one-time |
| Their Majesties' Pleasure | $5.99 | one-time |
| Vampire's Kiss | $5.99 | one-time |
| Heart of Battle | $6.99 | one-time |
| All-World Pro Wrestling | $6.99 | one-time |
| Freshman Magic | $6.99 | one-time |
| Ink and Intrigue | $6.99 | one-time |
| Changeling Charade | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💖 Immersive and engaging stories
- 🌈 Inclusive representation of diverse characters and relationships
- 📚 High-quality writing and worldbuilding
- 🔄 Meaningful choices with significant impact on the story
- 👍 Reasonable wait times between chapters for free users

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Limited gender and sexuality options in some stories
- 🔙 Lack of ability to undo/go back on choices
- 🕰️ Occasional issues with app stability and crashes
- 💰 Desire for more free or low-cost story content

**Reported bugs**

- Login screen freezes
- Incompatibility issues with older devices
- Occasional loss of progress/save data

**Requested features**

- Add more gender and sexuality options across all stories
- Implement a 'back' or 'undo' feature for choices
- Increase the number of free or low-cost story options
- Improve app stability and reduce crashes
- Provide character bios and story descriptions to help users choose


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Highlands, Deep Waters free?

Highlands, Deep Waters costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Heart's Choice free?

Heart's Choice is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Highlands, Deep Waters or Heart's Choice?

Heart's Choice is rated higher. Highlands, Deep Waters averages 4.6 out of 5 from 28 ratings, while Heart's Choice averages 4.7 from 304 ratings.

### Do Highlands, Deep Waters or Heart's Choice have ads?

Both Highlands, Deep Waters and Heart's Choice show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Highlands, Deep Waters or Heart's Choice?

Highlands, Deep Waters ships an update every 13 months, and Heart's Choice every 10 days. Most recently, Highlands, Deep Waters was updated on November 3, 2026 and Heart's Choice on November 7, 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.*