# Bark vs Refly

The clearest difference is rating: Bark at 4.9 against Refly's 4.0. Bark also leads on ratings volume (110 vs 1). Refly's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bark sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.69 per year and Refly sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bark holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bark has 110 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 98% of Bark's written reviews are positive against 100% of Refly's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Bark ships an update every 3 weeks, Refly every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bark | Refly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (110 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bark-custom-notifications/id1403753865/reviews)** | [4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refly/id6760969254/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **110** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 98.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 32 MB | 85 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [丰 黄](https://appshunter.io/developer/1090589311) | [深圳市涌现效应设计科技有限公司](https://appshunter.io/developer/1887085777) |

## 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 |


### Refly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refly/id6760969254)

This AI-powered app breaks down language barriers in podcasts by providing real-time bilingual transcripts and natural-sounding audio translations. It offers AI summaries and Q&A features to enhance understanding and engagement with global podcast content.

**Highlights:** Multi-language podcast translation, Bilingual transcript generation, AI-powered summaries, AI question and answer, Natural Chinese audio output

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro 月付 | $0.99 | per month |
| Max 月付 | $2.99 | per month |
| Ultra 月付 | $4.99 | per month |
| Pro 年付 | $11.99 | per year |
| Max 年付 | $24.99 | per year |
| Ultra 年付 | $49.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bark free?

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

### Is Refly free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Bark or Refly?

Bark is rated higher. Bark averages 4.9 out of 5 from 110 ratings, while Refly averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Bark or Refly have ads?

Neither Bark nor Refly shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bark or Refly?

Bark ships an update every 3 weeks, and Refly every 3 days. Most recently, Bark was updated on October 22, 2026 and Refly on October 11, 2026.

---

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