# Custom Paws vs ByteTag

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Custom Paws at none against ByteTag's 2. Custom Paws also leads on ads (none vs shown). ByteTag's advantage is ratings volume (9.7K vs 19). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ByteTag sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Custom Paws asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Custom Paws against 4.8 for ByteTag. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ByteTag has 9.7K ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Custom Paws's written reviews are positive against 85% of ByteTag's.

Custom Paws ships an update every 5 weeks, ByteTag every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Custom Paws | ByteTag |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/custom-paws/id1597348432/reviews)** | [4.8 (9.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bytetag/id1634260065/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 19 | **9.7K** |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | **85.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 140 MB | 69 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [iTrust Ventures LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1317767149) | [ByteTag, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1634260218) |

## What reviewers say

### Custom Paws

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/custom-paws/id1597348432)

Manage your pet's care with ease. Schedule appointments, get real-time updates with photos, communicate directly with staff, and handle payments securely. Experience top-tier pet services.

**Highlights:** Schedule appointments, Receive pet status updates, View pet photos, Chat with staff, Contactless payments

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### ByteTag

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bytetag/id1634260065)

This app provides advanced pet identification, allowing you to update your pet's information and receive real-time notifications when their tag is scanned. It offers unlimited contact details and passive GPS tracking to help reunite you with your lost pet quickly.

**Highlights:** Unlimited contact information updates, Real-time scanning notifications, GPS location sharing upon scan, Push, SMS, and email notifications, Passive GPS tracking, Directions to pet's location

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ByteTag Home+ (Monthly) | $3.99 | per month |
| ByteTag Home+ (Annually) | $34.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to set up and use
- 👍 Detailed pet profiles
- 🚀 Quick notification on pet scan
- 🚀 Efficient way to provide pet info
- 🚀 Lightweight and quiet tags

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Tag scanning issues in app
- 🔒 Security concerns with profile editing
- 🔒 Subscription required for some features
- 🐛 Inconsistent app performance
- 🐛 Shipping and order fulfillment problems

**Reported bugs**

- App unable to scan tags properly
- Profile information not saving correctly
- Repeated log-out issues in the app

**Requested features**

- Option to toggle order of pet details
- Ability to add multiple emergency contacts
- Improved camera integration for scanning tags
- Offline functionality for tag scanning


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Custom Paws free?

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

### Is ByteTag free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Custom Paws or ByteTag?

Custom Paws is rated higher. Custom Paws averages 4.8 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while ByteTag averages 4.8 from 9.7K ratings.

### Do Custom Paws or ByteTag have ads?

ByteTag shows ads; Custom Paws does not.

### Which is updated more often, Custom Paws or ByteTag?

Custom Paws ships an update every 5 weeks, and ByteTag every 2 months. Most recently, Custom Paws was updated on October 24, 2026 and ByteTag on October 26, 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.*