Comparison

Kernel vs Phridge

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

Phridge

This app simulates a virtual fridge where you can decorate the door with notes, photos, and magnets. Inside, you can arrange groceries, interact with them in fun ways, and even knock them over to see them fall.

Highlights
  • Decorate fridge door with notes, photos, and magnets
  • Arrange virtual groceries inside
  • Interactive item physics (knocking over, dropping)
  • Slingshot and sword tools for interaction
  • Customizable fridge name
  • iPhone Duo specific interaction
Features
Read full description

Phridge is a little fridge that lives in your phone. Cover the door in notes, magnets and photos of your loved ones, fill the shelves with groceries, and knock things over just to hear them land. THE DOOR • Tap the pen to write a note, type it or draw on it • Tap the camera to snap a photo or pick one from your library to keep it on the fridge • Add magnets, or spell out words with letter magnets • Tap the name on the door to call your fridge whatever you like • Drag anything around, and drop it in the trash can when you're done with it THE INSIDE • Groceries, from milk cartons and fizzy drinks to ice cream tubs and a whole salmon • Pick things up and move them around the shelves • Drop them on the floor: cans pop, fizzy bottles burst, cartons splat and glass shatters • Swap your hand for a slingshot to fire stones at the shelves, or a sword to slice things in two MADE FOR IPHONE DUO Close your iPhone Duo to shut the door and open it to look inside.

Screenshots

Kernel4 screens
Phridge3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Phridge at 4.8 against Kernel's 4.0. Phridge also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and update cadence (daily vs every 2 weeks). Kernel's advantage is ratings volume (230 vs 13) and device support (5 vs 1). On price, 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 Phridge sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Phridge holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Kernel has 230 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kernel ships an update every 2 weeks, Phridge daily. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Kernel versus Phridge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKernelPhridge
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (230 ratings)4.8 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings230 — better13
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.6
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB39 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperNikias MolinaVladislavs Simanovics

Customer experience

Kernel

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

Phridge

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Phridge

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
1 purchases

Phridge

One-time1
  • Golden Supporter$0.99

Questions

Is Kernel free?
Kernel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Phridge free?
Phridge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Kernel or Phridge?
Phridge is rated higher. Kernel averages 4.0 out of 5 from 230 ratings, while Phridge averages 4.8 from 13 ratings.
Do Kernel or Phridge have ads?
Neither Kernel nor Phridge shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kernel or Phridge?
Kernel ships an update every 2 weeks, and Phridge daily. Most recently, Kernel was updated on November 11, 2026 and Phridge on November 10, 2026.

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