The Essential vs BDDW Auctions
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Essential
Discover and purchase furniture directly from the factories that produce for designer brands. Enjoy high-quality pieces without the traditional retail markups. Access factory-direct pricing for stylish home furnishings.
- Factory-direct furniture
- Designer-quality at lower prices
- Avoid retail markups
- Access to original factory sources
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Furniture from the same factories as designer brands. Without the markups.
BDDW Auctions
Access exclusive auctions for unique furniture, art, and design objects. Find one-offs, prototypes, and brand-new pieces directly from the designer. Receive notifications and streamline your bidding process on this user-friendly platform.
- Exclusive auction access
- Unique one-off pieces
- Prototypes and floor models
- Brand-new designer items
- Streamlined bidding
- Direct notifications
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BDDW holds frequent auctions that are accessible through our very own auction platform, where great deals can be found on a range of select BDDW items: an eclectic mix of one-offs, prototypes, misfit floor models, and brand-new pieces designed by Tyler Hays. Our auctions are the only way to access our archival, collectable works, holiday puzzle batches, and auction-only pieces. This app makes our already popular auction platform more accessible and user-friendly: notifications sent directly to your iPhone, streamlined bidding, and more.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: BDDW Auctions at 100% against The Essential's 24%. BDDW Auctions also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and ads (none vs shown). The Essential's advantage is ratings volume (100 vs 11). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
BDDW Auctions holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Essential has 100 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of The Essential's written reviews are positive against 100% of BDDW Auctions's.
The Essential ships an update every 4 weeks, BDDW Auctions weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Essential | BDDW Auctions |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (100 ratings) | 5.0 (11 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 24.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 100 — better | 11 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 78 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Inhabit.io, Inc | IronDirect, a Liquidity Services, Inc. business. |
Customer experience
The Essential
BDDW Auctions
In-app purchases
The Essential
No in-app purchases
BDDW Auctions
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The Essential free?
Is BDDW Auctions free?
Which has better reviews, The Essential or BDDW Auctions?
Do The Essential or BDDW Auctions have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Essential or BDDW Auctions?
Other comparisons
