# Essence vs Ding

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ding at none against Essence's 3. Ding also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 7 months). Essence's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Essence sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $48.99 per month. Ding asks for nothing beyond the download.

Essence ships an update every 7 months, Ding every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Essence | Ding |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ding-training-timer/id6749311355/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 92 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Healthy Living Plan Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1600683922) | [KATERINA SOURKOVA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1829942764) |

## What reviewers say

### Essence

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essence-unlock-potential/id1600683920)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscription | $48.99 | per month |
| One Time Subscription | $54.99 | one-time |


### Ding

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ding-training-timer/id6749311355)

This app provides customizable timers for various activities like meditation, interval training, and general practice. It offers features for tracking progress, analyzing performance with visual charts, and organizing sessions with custom tags. The interface is clean and supports offline functionality.

**Highlights:** Customizable meditation timers with interval bells, Interval training for HIIT and circuit workouts, Stopwatch and random interval timer modes, Create and save custom training presets, Calendar view with training streaks, Visual analytics and progress charts, Offline functionality

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Essence free?

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

### Is Ding free?

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

### Do Essence or Ding have ads?

Essence shows ads; Ding does not.

### Which is updated more often, Essence or Ding?

Essence ships an update every 7 months, and Ding every 6 weeks. Most recently, Essence was updated on September 28, 2026 and Ding on October 13, 2026.

---

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