# charging play vs Widget Lab

The clearest difference is rating: charging play at 4.5 against Widget Lab's 3.9. charging play also leads on ratings volume (14K vs 400) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 14.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. charging play sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Widget Lab sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

charging play holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: charging play has 14K ratings behind it against 400, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of charging play's written reviews are positive against 31% of Widget Lab's.

charging play ships an update monthly, Widget Lab fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | charging play | Widget Lab |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (14K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charging-play/id1532220797/reviews)** | [3.9 (400 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/widget-lab-standby-themes/id1574611121/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **14K** | 400 |
| Positive reviews | **36.2% of reviews** | 31.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 123 MB | 285 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [妮琳 张](https://appshunter.io/developer/1565967537) | [Ningbo If Technology Co.,Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1483428587) |

## What reviewers say

### charging play

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charging-play/id1532220797)

Enhance your charging experience with custom animations. This app automatically displays vibrant visuals when your device is plugged in or placed on a wireless charger, and exits when charging stops. It also intelligently calibrates charging percentage data for a more personalized display.

**Highlights:** Automatic charging animation display, Wireless charging animation support, Intelligent charging percentage calibration, IOS 14 shortcut command automation, Automatic exit when charging stops

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Advanced features | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good app
- 🚀 Works well
- 💕 Enjoyable to use
- 🝮 Customizable animations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy
- 🤔 Confusing to use
- 🔋 Drains battery
- 🤯 Crashes frequently
- 🙄 Unnecessary notifications

**Reported bugs**

- Can't change animation after initial setup
- App gets stuck on charging screen
- Ads don't close properly
- Compatibility issues with certain phones
- Sound doesn't work with headphones

**Requested features**

- Allow changing animations while locked
- Add more animation options
- Make it work with headphones
- Improve translation quality
- Add widget support


### Widget Lab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/widget-lab-standby-themes/id1574611121)

Personalize your home screen with a variety of useful widgets. Track system info, enjoy daily poems, set countdowns for important dates, and make waiting times more enjoyable. More widgets are continuously being added.

**Highlights:** Personalize home screen, System Info Widget, Daily Poems Widget, Count Down Widget, Slack Off Widget, Customizable widgets

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Quarterly | $7.99 | per 3 months |
| Annual | $19.99 | per year |
| Standby | Free | one-time |
| Retro widget | $0.99 | one-time |
| musicwidget | $4.99 | one-time |
| Charge animation | $4.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $15.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Cute and creative widgets
- 💖 Customizable lock screen options
- 🎵 Music sharing and playback features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches with widgets
- 💰 Many features require paid subscription
- 🌐 Language and localization issues
- 🔍 Difficulty connecting to music services

**Reported bugs**

- Widgets not displaying properly
- App crashes or fails to open
- Music playback issues and sync problems

**Requested features**

- Add more music service options (e.g. YouTube Music)
- Improve widget reliability and functionality
- Provide better language support and localization


## Frequently asked questions

### Is charging play free?

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

### Is Widget Lab free?

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

### Which has better reviews, charging play or Widget Lab?

charging play is rated higher. charging play averages 4.5 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Widget Lab averages 3.9 from 400 ratings.

### Do charging play or Widget Lab have ads?

Both charging play and Widget Lab show ads.

### Which is updated more often, charging play or Widget Lab?

charging play ships an update monthly, and Widget Lab fortnightly. Most recently, charging play was updated on November 7, 2026 and Widget Lab on November 3, 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.*