# Brain Waves vs R

The clearest difference is price: R at Free against Brain Waves's $17.99. R also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 27 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

R is free to download; Brain Waves costs $17.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Brain Waves ships an update every 27 months, R every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Brain Waves | R |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $17.99 | **Free** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 27 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Size | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thomas Breitling](https://appshunter.io/developer/896353589) | [Benjamin Vianney](https://appshunter.io/developer/1376014245) |

## What reviewers say

### Brain Waves

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brain-waves-magic-trick/id1583546052)

**In-app purchases:** none


### R

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/r-light/id6449964837)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Brain Waves free?

Brain Waves costs $17.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is R free?

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

### Do Brain Waves or R have ads?

Neither Brain Waves nor R shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Brain Waves or R?

Brain Waves ships an update every 27 months, and R every 3 weeks. Most recently, Brain Waves was updated on October 27, 2026 and R on October 30, 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.*