# Kernels vs Spongee

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Kernels at none against Spongee's 2. Kernels also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). Spongee's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Spongee sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Kernels asks for nothing beyond the download.

Kernels ships an update every 2 months, Spongee every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Kernels | Spongee |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kernels-private-search-engine/id1591632823/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **10** | — |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 30 MB | 96 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Funnls LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1591632825) | [Wen Jian Kwok](https://appshunter.io/developer/1787882285) |

## What reviewers say

### Kernels

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kernels-private-search-engine/id1591632823)

This app acts as a personal search engine, allowing you to index and quickly find your saved text, web pages, images, emails, and documents. It prioritizes user privacy and synchronizes your data across devices for easy access anywhere. It helps boost productivity by making your digital information instantly searchable.

**Highlights:** Personal search index, Save text, web pages, images, Search emails and documents, Privacy-focused indexing, Cross-device synchronization, Boost productivity and organization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Spongee

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spongee-save-revisit-recall/id6762848812)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Kernels free?

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

### Is Spongee free?

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

### Do Kernels or Spongee have ads?

Neither Kernels nor Spongee shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Kernels or Spongee?

Kernels ships an update every 2 months, and Spongee every 2 weeks. Most recently, Kernels was updated on October 6, 2026 and Spongee on October 24, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*