Comparison

Kernel vs Particle

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Kernel

This AI-powered app helps you discover, organize, and share movies and TV shows. Describe a title to find it, get recommendations directly from friends, and track upcoming releases. It also shows you where to stream content across various services.

Highlights
  • AI-powered search by description
  • Direct friend recommendations
  • Create movie/TV show playlists
  • Automatic release tracking and notifications
  • Streaming service availability
  • Widgets and Apple Watch support
Features
Read full description

Kernel is the movie and TV show tracker that counts down to every release and tells you where to watch it. Add what you want to see to your watchlist, get a countdown and a reminder on release day, find out where it's streaming in your country, and rate it once you've seen it. Can't remember the title? Describe it and Kernel AI finds it. RELEASE COUNTDOWNS Add upcoming movies and shows and Kernel counts down the days on your Home Screen, Lock Screen and Apple Watch, then reminds you when they're out. WHERE TO WATCH See whether a movie or show is streaming, for rent or to buy on Netflix, Apple TV, Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max and more, for the country you're in. TOP 10 ON EVERY SERVICE What's most popular right now on Netflix, Apple TV, Disney+, Prime Video and HBO Max. KERNEL AI MOVIE FINDER Forgot the name? Describe the plot, a scene or an actor and Kernel AI finds the movie or show. RATE IT Half-star ratings for movies, shows and every episode, plus the Kernel Rating from everyone else. WATCHLIST AND PLAYLISTS Seen, Upcoming and a playlist for every mood, synced with iCloud. SHARE WITH FRIENDS Send a movie, show or episode. The link opens straight in Kernel and shows a rich preview in Messages. WIDGETS AND APPLE WATCH Countdown, Up Next and Kernel AI widgets, a Control Center button, and an Apple Watch app with complications. ON EVERY SCREEN iPhone, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro, and made for iPhone Duo. Kernel is a tracker and a guide. It doesn't play movies itself; it shows you where you can watch them. Available in English and Spanish. KERNEL PREMIUM Kernel AI includes free searches every month. Kernel Premium unlocks unlimited Kernel AI searches and opens any title in its streaming app with one tap. Kernel Premium is a weekly, monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase. It renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it any time in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://kernelmovieapp.com/privacy-policy.html Movie and show information, posters and artwork belong to their respective owners. Studio logos and other trademarks belong to their respective owners.

About

Particle

Explore art, heritage, and culture through curated stories and interactive digital and phygital exhibitions. Discover new artists and galleries, and engage with artworks in a unique way.

Highlights
  • Curated art stories
  • Explore events and exhibitions
  • Phygital and digital exhibition experiences
  • Interact with artworks
  • Discover niche galleries and artists
  • Support art institutions
Features
Read full description

Join Particle and make art essential in your everyday life. From phygital experiences to serendipitous explorations, from world famous artists to off-the-beaten-track niche galleries, Particle can become your faithful chaperon to explore art, heritage and culture like never before. Wander through the Particles: Lose yourself in the never-ending flow of particles: immerse into curated stories to discover the art world at your own pace. Explore events and exhibitions: Browse exhibitions from your favorite institutions, galleries and artists or discover unexplored ones, support their activities, and take part in their events. Experience exhibitions like never before: Explore phygital and digital exhibitions with no limits of location and timing. Interact with the artworks around you and dig deeper into the exhibition topic. Share what made you fall in love, and empower the art community

Screenshots

Kernel4 screens
Particle4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Kernel at 4.0 against Particle's 3.0. Kernel also leads on ratings volume (229 vs 2) and device support (5 vs 2). Particle's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Kernel sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Particle sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Kernel holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Kernel has 229 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kernel ships an update every 2 weeks, Particle every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Kernel versus Particle: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKernelParticle
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (229 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews64.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings229 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB701 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperNikias MolinaParticle Pte. Ltd.

Customer experience

Kernel

All ratings226 ratings
Positive72.6%
Neutral8.4%
Negative19.0%
Written reviews164 reviews
Positive64.6%
Neutral13.4%
Negative22.0%

Particle

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Kernel

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Apple Watch app doesn't work, shows blank screen
  • Release dates are sometimes inaccurate
  • Can't remove movies from 'Upcoming' playlist after release

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add ability to rate movies and shows
  • Implement a 'mark all as seen' feature for TV shows
  • Allow sorting playlists manually
  • Add support for more streaming services
  • Integrate Rotten Tomatoes ratings
Show 1 more
  • Develop an iPad version of the app

Particle

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Kernel

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly$0.997 Days
  • Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Yearly$15.991 Year
3 purchases

Particle

One-time3
  • Off-site Route2 variants$0.99
  • Experience Page2 variants$0.99
  • Route2 variants$0.99

Questions

Is Kernel free?
Kernel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Particle free?
Particle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Kernel or Particle?
Kernel is rated higher. Kernel averages 4.0 out of 5 from 229 ratings, while Particle averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Kernel or Particle have ads?
Neither Kernel nor Particle shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kernel or Particle?
Kernel ships an update every 2 weeks, and Particle every 3 weeks. Most recently, Kernel was updated on November 2, 2026 and Particle on November 3, 2026.

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