# Cat Scanner vs Lucidea Explorer

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lucidea Explorer at none against Cat Scanner's 3. Lucidea Explorer also leads on ads (none vs shown). Cat Scanner's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 21 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cat Scanner sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per 7 days. Lucidea Explorer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Cat Scanner ships an update fortnightly, Lucidea Explorer every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cat Scanner | Lucidea Explorer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cat-scanner/id1447491786/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **7K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 49.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 21 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 148 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Siwalu Software GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1447489157) | [Lucidea Technologies Corp.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1490180275) |

## What reviewers say

### Cat Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cat-scanner/id1447491786)

Instantly identify cat breeds by taking a photo, recording a video, or uploading an image. The app also recognizes mixed breeds and even identifies which cat breeds humans resemble. Join a community to share results, interact with other cat lovers, and compete in gamified challenges.

**Highlights:** Cat breed identification from photos, Video and gallery image scanning, Mixed breed recognition, Human resemblance to cat breeds, Community social feed, Gamified challenges and rankings, Offline scanning (premium)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| All Access | $1.49 | per 7 days |
| All Access | $2.99 | per month |
| Cat Scanner Premium | $13.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Accurate cat breed identification
- 👍 Fun and entertaining app
- 🤖 Able to scan different animals, not just cats

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent and inaccurate results
- 💤 App crashes or freezes frequently
- 📺 Excessive ads that disrupt user experience
- 🤖 Struggles to differentiate between cats and other animals

**Reported bugs**

- Scan results change drastically with each attempt
- App crashes when trying to view past scan results
- Unable to follow or interact with other users

**Requested features**

- Ability to block or report users
- Improved accuracy and consistency in breed identification
- Option to disable ads or pay for ad-free version
- Support for video scanning in addition to photos


### Lucidea Explorer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lucidea-explorer/id1660335748)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cat Scanner free?

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

### Is Lucidea Explorer free?

Lucidea Explorer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Cat Scanner or Lucidea Explorer have ads?

Cat Scanner shows ads; Lucidea Explorer does not.

### Which is updated more often, Cat Scanner or Lucidea Explorer?

Cat Scanner ships an update fortnightly, and Lucidea Explorer every 21 months. Most recently, Cat Scanner was updated on November 6, 2026 and Lucidea Explorer on November 3, 2026.

---

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