# Are.na vs Mate

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Are.na at none against Mate's 3. Are.na also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Mate's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Mate sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Are.na asks for nothing beyond the download.

Are.na ships an update fortnightly, Mate every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Are.na | Mate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (339 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arena/id1299153149/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **339** | — |
| Positive reviews | 52.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 85 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [When It Changed Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1299153148) | [Emir Mazlumoglu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896311698) |

## 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

**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


### Mate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mate-shared-mats/id6766653307)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Trace'm | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Mate | $2.99 | per month |
| Yearly Trace'm | $24.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Are.na free?

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

### Is Mate free?

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

### Do Are.na or Mate have ads?

Neither Are.na nor Mate shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Are.na or Mate?

Are.na ships an update fortnightly, and Mate every 2 days. Most recently, Are.na was updated on October 21, 2026 and Mate on October 12, 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.*