Comparison

Plainly vs Akari

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Plainly

Experience web browsing without distractions. This app offers a clean, full-screen interface with minimal controls, allowing you to focus solely on content. It includes features like quick tab switching, passcode protection for privacy, and dark mode.

Highlights
  • Full-screen browsing experience
  • Intuitive tab switching
  • Buttonless interface option
  • Passcode protection for privacy
  • Dark mode support
  • Quick history clearing
Features
Read full description

Plainly is a web browser for browsing your favorite web sites full-screen. No address bars, no toolbars, no status bars – just a small button at the bottom of your screen. - Tap the Plainly button at the bottom of the screen to switch tabs and access navigation options - Two button modes: draggable mode lets you move the Plainly button to wherever you want; quick-switching mode lets you switch between tabs by swiping left and right on the Plainly button. - Buttonless full-screen: Tap and hold with two fingers to completely hide the Plainly button. - Passcode protection: Require a passcode for browsing privately. Plainly will also hide what you're looking at in the app switcher. - And more! Quickly clear browsing history; shortcuts support for launching Plainly on a given tab; pop-up support for websites that require them; and dark mode.

About

Akari

A mobile web browser designed for a calmer online experience, it blocks ads, trackers, and pop-ups. Enjoy features like background video playback, reader mode, and private tabs with optional Face ID protection.

Highlights
  • Ad, pop-up, and tracker blocking
  • Video ad skipping
  • Reader mode and page summarization
  • Private tabs with Face ID lock
  • Background audio/video playback
  • Cross-device sync
Features
Read full description

Akari is a calmer web browser that blocks ads, pop-ups and trackers on your iPhone and iPad. BLOCK THE NOISE • Shields blocks ads and trackers using EasyList and EasyPrivacy, right on your device. • Pop-up blocking stops new windows and redirects you didn't ask for. • Block Video Ads skips the ads on video sites, so you get straight to the video. • Cookie banners hidden, and tracking tags stripped from the links you open and share. A CALMER WAY TO BROWSE • One bar for sites and searches. It fills in the websites you visit as you type. • Favorites as a grid of site icons, right on the start page. • Tabs as cards. Swipe the address bar to move between tabs, flick a card away to close it. • Peek previews a link before you open it. • Spaces keep work, home and everything else apart. • Reader turns cluttered articles into clean, easy text, and Summarize sums up a page on your device. • Keep audio and video playing in the background or in picture in picture. PRIVATE AND SECURE • Private tabs forget everything when you close them, and Face ID can lock them. • Sign in with passkeys, and set Akari as your default browser. • Find on page, downloads saved to the Files app, and "Open in Akari" in the share sheet. • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets for quick search and your favorites. • Nine colors, including a true black. WORKS WITH AKARI FOR MAC AND WINDOWS Sign in with your email and your favorites and color follow you between your iPhone and your computers. Sync is end-to-end encrypted, so we can't read it. Signing in is optional. AKARI PRO (OPTIONAL) Focus Mode, Block Lists, Hide Element, Hide Annoyances, Video Speed and app icons. Monthly, yearly or a one-time purchase. Everything above stays free. No ads. No tracking. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://0arch.io/akari/privacy

Screenshots

Plainly4 screens
Akari4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Akari at Free against Plainly's $0.99. Akari also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 9 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 75%). On ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Akari is free to download; Plainly costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Plainly ships an update every 9 months, Akari every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Plainly versus Akari: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlainlyAkari
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating—3.3 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB55 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperJustin ChengJoseph Rodriguez

Customer experience

Plainly

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%

Akari

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Plainly

No in-app purchases

None

Akari

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Plainly free?
Plainly costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Akari free?
Akari is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Plainly or Akari have ads?
Neither Plainly nor Akari shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Plainly or Akari?
Plainly ships an update every 9 months, and Akari every 2 days. Most recently, Plainly was updated on October 10, 2026 and Akari on October 20, 2026.

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