# 5Strands vs Lofty

The clearest difference is rating: Lofty at 5.0 against 5Strands's 4.5. Lofty also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 82%) and update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). 5Strands's advantage is ratings volume (210 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 5Strands sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month and Lofty sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $19.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Lofty holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 5Strands has 210 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of 5Strands's written reviews are positive against 100% of Lofty's.

5Strands ships an update weekly, Lofty every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 5Strands | Lofty |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (210 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/5strands/id1453319405/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lofty-daily-questions/id6803239438/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **210** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 81.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 80 MB | 75 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Affordable Allergy Test, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1453319404) | [FINdustries](https://appshunter.io/developer/6803239650) |

## What reviewers say

### 5Strands

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/5strands/id1453319405)

Track your food intake, environmental exposures, and symptoms to identify patterns and make informed lifestyle changes. Features include food scanning, easy logging, access to test results, and curated recipes to help you avoid intolerances.

**Highlights:** Scan food ingredients, Log meals, surroundings, and symptoms, Access and filter test results, Discover intolerance-friendly recipes, Track personal wellness score, Connect with a supportive community

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 5Strands VIP | $4.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 👍 Easy navigation
- 👍 Convenient for grocery shopping
- 👍 Helpful for understanding results
- 👍 Great customer service (Destiny mentioned frequently)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😞 Test results accuracy questioned
- 😞 Additional costs for more info
- 😞 App crashes during journal entry
- 😞 App not working after update
- 😞 Cannot sign in after update

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when making journal entry
- App not working after update
- Cannot sign in after update
- Login screen issue (not going past email screen)

**Requested features**

- Ability to scan barcodes of foods
- More detailed view of all tested items, not just categories


### Lofty

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lofty-daily-questions/id6803239438)

Explore meaningful questions to foster self-reflection and mindfulness. Engage with prompts through silent meditation or guided narration, and journal your insights. Personalize your experience with custom questions and reminders.

**Highlights:** Daily thoughtful questions, Guided meditation sessions, Personalized journaling, Custom question creation, Local reminders, Home and Lock Screen widgets

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lofty Premium | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 5Strands free?

5Strands is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Lofty free?

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

### Which has better reviews, 5Strands or Lofty?

Lofty is rated higher. 5Strands averages 4.5 out of 5 from 210 ratings, while Lofty averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do 5Strands or Lofty have ads?

Neither 5Strands nor Lofty shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, 5Strands or Lofty?

5Strands ships an update weekly, and Lofty every 3 days. Most recently, 5Strands was updated on October 29, 2026 and Lofty on October 2, 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.*