# Serial Box vs Authenticator

The clearest difference is ads: Serial Box at none against Authenticator's shown. Serial Box also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Serial Box sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Authenticator sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $49.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Serial Box ships an update monthly, Authenticator every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Serial Box | Authenticator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Size | 9 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mark Battistella](https://appshunter.io/developer/1584906978) | [AQUAWOOD PTE. LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1774212005) |

## What reviewers say

### Serial Box

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/serial-box/id1634535698)

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock extras | $1.99 | one-time |


### Authenticator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/authenticator-2fa-and-passkey/id6736977421)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| year | $49.99 | per year |
| lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Serial Box free?

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

### Is Authenticator free?

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

### Do Serial Box or Authenticator have ads?

Authenticator shows ads; Serial Box does not.

### Which is updated more often, Serial Box or Authenticator?

Serial Box ships an update monthly, and Authenticator every 2 weeks. Most recently, Serial Box was updated on October 2, 2026 and Authenticator on October 7, 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.*