# Are.na vs River by Lifeworld

Are.na and River by Lifeworld both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 96% of River by Lifeworld's written reviews are positive against 52% of Are.na's. Are.na's advantage is ratings volume (357 vs 46). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Are.na against 4.8 for River by Lifeworld. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Are.na has 357 ratings behind it against 46, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 52% of Are.na's written reviews are positive against 96% of River by Lifeworld's.

Are.na ships an update fortnightly, River by Lifeworld monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Are.na | River by Lifeworld |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (357 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arena/id1299153149/reviews)** | [4.8 (46 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/river-by-lifeworld/id6670503289/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **357** | 46 |
| Positive reviews | 52.1% of reviews | **96.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 85 MB | 81 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | +17 | 12+ |
| Developer | [When It Changed Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1299153148) | [Lifeworld, Co.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1766585523) |

## What reviewers say

### Are.na

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arena/id1299153149)

This platform allows creatives and researchers to save and organize any type of content into collections. It provides a distraction-free space to connect and build ideas, fostering collaboration and community.  It is independent, ad-free, and algorithm-free.

**Highlights:** Save any content type, Organize into collections, Distraction-free space, Collaborate on projects, Share ideas privately or publicly, Thoughtful community

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and clean
- 👍 Minimalist and accessible
- 🖤 Great community and content
- 🖤 Inspiring and creative
- 🖤 Organically curated experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🐛 Laggy performance
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🐛 Unintuitive navigation
- 🐛 Limited functionality compared to website

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to login or sign up
- Blocks not loading or duplicating
- App crashing when viewing GIFs/animations
- Inconsistent behavior across iOS versions
- Navigation issues due to 'Dynamic Island'

**Requested features**

- Ability to sort channels by connections
- Landscape mode support on iPad
- Password reset functionality
- Multiple image/video uploads
- Improved channel management


### River by Lifeworld

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/river-by-lifeworld/id6670503289)

This app provides a private space to capture and share moments, thoughts, and interests with specific people. It offers a unique way to explore your passions and connect disparate ideas and memories.

**Highlights:** Private journaling, Share anything, Explore interests, Connect scattered thoughts, Share with specific people

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Are.na free?

Are.na is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is River by Lifeworld free?

River by Lifeworld is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Are.na or River by Lifeworld?

Are.na is rated higher. Are.na averages 4.9 out of 5 from 357 ratings, while River by Lifeworld averages 4.8 from 46 ratings.

### Do Are.na or River by Lifeworld have ads?

Neither Are.na nor River by Lifeworld shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Are.na or River by Lifeworld?

Are.na ships an update fortnightly, and River by Lifeworld monthly. Most recently, Are.na was updated on November 4, 2026 and River by Lifeworld on October 30, 2026.

---

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