# Bark vs XJTLU APP

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: XJTLU APP at none against Bark's 2. XJTLU APP also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Bark's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (110 vs 5). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bark sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.69 per year. XJTLU APP asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Bark against 4.8 for XJTLU APP. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bark has 110 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 98% of Bark's written reviews are positive against 100% of XJTLU APP's.

Bark ships an update every 3 weeks, XJTLU APP every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bark | XJTLU APP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (110 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bark-custom-notifications/id1403753865/reviews)** | [4.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xjtlu-app/id1458060064/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **110** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 98.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 32 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [丰 黄](https://appshunter.io/developer/1090589311) | [Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University](https://appshunter.io/developer/1143431339) |

## What reviewers say

### Bark

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bark-custom-notifications/id1403753865)

Send custom push notifications to your iPhone via an HTTP API. Supports advanced features like custom icons, grouping, and critical alerts. Offers privacy-protected, end-to-end encrypted pushes with self-deployable server options.

**Highlights:** HTTP API for push notifications, Custom icons and grouping, Continuous and critical alerts, End-to-end push encryption, Self-deployable server options, Privacy-protected notifications

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Continuous support | $2.69 | per year |
| One-time donation | $2.69 | one-time |


### XJTLU APP

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xjtlu-app/id1458060064)

This app offers XJTLU staff and students unified access to campus data from various application systems. It provides an easy-to-use mobile interface for accessing important information.

**Highlights:** Unified data access, Mobile interface, Access campus systems, Easy to use

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bark free?

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

### Is XJTLU APP free?

XJTLU APP is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Bark or XJTLU APP?

Bark is rated higher. Bark averages 4.9 out of 5 from 110 ratings, while XJTLU APP averages 4.8 from 5 ratings.

### Do Bark or XJTLU APP have ads?

Neither Bark nor XJTLU APP shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bark or XJTLU APP?

Bark ships an update every 3 weeks, and XJTLU APP every 5 months. Most recently, Bark was updated on October 22, 2026 and XJTLU APP on October 6, 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.*