# HT CIS vs CardBal

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: HT CIS at 9.0 against CardBal's 16.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

HT CIS ships an update every 3 weeks, CardBal every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | HT CIS | CardBal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Size | 19 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Chinese Laser Press Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1455812320) | [Kitta Co.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896674871) |

## What reviewers say

### HT CIS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ht-cis/id1455812321)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### CardBal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cardbal-transit-card-reader/id6760978958)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HT CIS free?

HT CIS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is CardBal free?

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

### Do HT CIS or CardBal have ads?

Neither HT CIS nor CardBal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HT CIS or CardBal?

HT CIS ships an update every 3 weeks, and CardBal every 2 weeks. Most recently, HT CIS was updated on November 2, 2026 and CardBal on November 5, 2026.

---

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