Comparison

BAOverse vs It's By Esther

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

Head to head
About

BAOverse

Explore a virtual world inspired by Taiwanese culture and earn in-app currency by dining at participating restaurants. Use your earned currency to purchase unique digital items that can be redeemed for real-world counterparts. Level up your character to unlock new content and exclusive benefits.

Highlights
  • Interactive restaurant exploration
  • Earn BAOcoin by dining
  • Spend BAOcoin on in-app items
  • Redeem items for real-world counterparts
  • Level up characters
  • Unlock exclusive perks
Read full description

The BAOverse is an interactive restaurant experience app which rewards you for exploring our world where each of our London restaurants represents a different slice of Taiwanese culture. Here’s how it works: Choose a character and start exploring the Map Dine at our restaurants to earn BAOcoin Spend your BAOcoin on unique items in the app. Redeem your BAOverse items for their real world counter parts next time you visit. Keep exploring to level up and unlock more characters and exclusive perks.

About

It's By Esther

This app simplifies entertaining by providing curated menus, smart shopping lists, and step-by-step timelines for any occasion. It also features an AI guide for hosting questions and customizable dietary options to ensure all guests are catered for.

Highlights
  • Curated hosting menus for various occasions
  • Smart shopping lists sorted by aisle
  • Step-by-step hosting timelines
  • Downloadable printables (menu cards, checklists)
  • AI hosting guide for questions and tips
  • Dietary adaptations for various needs
Features
Read full description

It's By Esther is your personal hosting companion, designed to take the stress out of entertaining and help you host beautiful gatherings with confidence. Whether you're planning an intimate date night, a lively dinner party, a family brunch, or a special celebration, the app gives you everything you need from menu selection to the moment your guests arrive. WHAT YOU GET: 120 Curated Hosting Menus Every menu is hand-picked and styled for a specific occasion and mood. Filter by occasion (dinner party, date night, brunch, family, celebration, casual), mood (elegant, cozy, fresh, romantic, upbeat), and dietary needs. Each menu includes a full multi-course meal with starters, mains, sides, and desserts. Smart Shopping Lists One-tap shopping lists generated from any menu, automatically sorted by aisle. Ingredients consolidate across courses so you never buy duplicates. Adjust guest count and watch quantities scale instantly. Hosting Timelines Step-by-step day-of schedules so you know exactly what to prep and when. No more scrambling before guests arrive. Beautiful Printables Downloadable menu cards, shopping checklists, place cards, recipe cards, and thank-you notes to elevate your hosting. Ask Esther — Your AI Hosting Guide Get instant answers to hosting questions, recipe substitutions, wine pairings, portion guidance, and sourcing tips. Ask Esther remembers your conversation so you can follow up naturally. Dietary Adaptations Adapt any menu for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, halal, kosher, keto, and more. Every guest feels welcome at your table. PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION: Unlock the full experience with It's By Esther Premium. Get access to all 90+ menus, timelines, printables, Ask Esther AI, and dietary planning. Monthly: €9.99/month Annual: €79.99/year (save 33%) Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. Start hosting with confidence today. Download and explore curated menus, shopping lists, and more. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

BAOverse4 screens
It's By Esther4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BAOverse at none against It's By Esther's 2. BAOverse also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.0). On price, ads and device support 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

Both are free to download. It's By Esther sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. BAOverse asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BAOverse ships an update every 2 weeks, It's By Esther every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
BAOverse versus It's By Esther: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBAOverseIt's By Esther
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS13.4 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size79 MB15 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperBAO London LtdEsther Ewebe

Customer experience

BAOverse

Written reviews18 reviews
Positive22.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative77.8%

It's By Esther

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

BAOverse

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

It's By Esther

Subscriptions2
  • Premium$8.991 Month
  • Premium$69.991 Year

Questions

Is BAOverse free?
BAOverse is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is It's By Esther free?
It's By Esther is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BAOverse or It's By Esther have ads?
Neither BAOverse nor It's By Esther shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BAOverse or It's By Esther?
BAOverse ships an update every 2 weeks, and It's By Esther every 6 weeks. Most recently, BAOverse was updated on November 3, 2026 and It's By Esther on November 10, 2026.

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