# Bark vs iCodex

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Bark at 15.0 against iCodex's 18.6. On price, update cadence, 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 iCodex sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bark | iCodex |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (109 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bark-custom-notifications/id1403753865/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **109** | — |
| Positive reviews | 98.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 32 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [丰 黄](https://appshunter.io/developer/1090589311) | [建祥 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/1782685807) |

## 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 |


### iCodex

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/icodex-claude-and-codex-usage/id6792240003)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime Access | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bark free?

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

### Is iCodex free?

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

### Do Bark or iCodex have ads?

Neither Bark nor iCodex shows ads.

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

Bark ships an update every 3 weeks, and iCodex every 3 weeks. Most recently, Bark was updated on September 26, 2026 and iCodex on September 10, 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.*