# Charcoal vs Cadence · Deep Work

The clearest difference is rating: Cadence · Deep Work at 5.0 against Charcoal's 4.5. Cadence · Deep Work also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Charcoal's advantage is ratings volume (144 vs 3) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Cadence · Deep Work holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Charcoal has 144 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Charcoal ships an update every 2 months, Cadence · Deep Work fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Charcoal | Cadence · Deep Work |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (144 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charcoal/id1490279484/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cadence-deep-work/id6759234412/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **144** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 76.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 29 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lars Augustin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1806278075) | [Kavinraj Thirumoorthi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1877572068) |

## What reviewers say

### Charcoal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charcoal/id1490279484)

This app offers a simple yet powerful sketching experience with rich tools and beautiful color palettes. Easily create and export your artwork for use in other graphics programs. It supports modern iOS features like multiple windows and dark mode for enhanced productivity.

**Highlights:** Simple sketching interface, Rich drawing tools, Beautiful color palettes, Export sketches, Multiple window support, Dark mode

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and intuitive
- 👍 Great for quick sketching
- 🎨 Aesthetically pleasing design
- 💰 Free with no ads

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🎨 Limited color palette
- 🎨 Lack of customization options
- 🎨 Missing advanced drawing tools
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes

**Reported bugs**

- Saved sketches lose quality
- Palette colors change unexpectedly
- Freezing when opening color palette

**Requested features**

- Ability to change brush/pen size
- Layers and blending tools
- Color wheel and custom color selection
- Import/export options


### Cadence · Deep Work

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cadence-deep-work/id6759234412)

This app helps you overcome the inertia of starting tasks by focusing on your current capacity. It guides you through structured work sessions, presenting one task at a time to promote deep work and minimize distractions.

**Highlights:** Focus-based task sorting, Structured focus sessions, Thoughtful completion flow, Calm, intentional design, Minimal execution screen

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Charcoal free?

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

### Is Cadence · Deep Work free?

Cadence · Deep Work is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Charcoal or Cadence · Deep Work?

Cadence · Deep Work is rated higher. Charcoal averages 4.5 out of 5 from 144 ratings, while Cadence · Deep Work averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Charcoal or Cadence · Deep Work have ads?

Neither Charcoal nor Cadence · Deep Work shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Charcoal or Cadence · Deep Work?

Charcoal ships an update every 2 months, and Cadence · Deep Work fortnightly. Most recently, Charcoal was updated on October 26, 2026 and Cadence · Deep Work on October 24, 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.*