# Google vs Lens

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Google at 5.3M against Lens's 1.3K. Google also leads on review sentiment (59% vs 44%) and rating (4.6 vs 4.4). Lens's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Google sells 22 in-app purchases, starting at $0.89 per month and Lens sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Google holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Google has 5.3M ratings behind it against 1.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Google's written reviews are positive against 44% of Lens's.

Google ships an update every 6 days, Lens every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Google | Lens |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (5.3M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google/id284815942/reviews)** | [4.4 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lens-reverse-image-search-ai/id6455428400/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.3M** | 1.3K |
| Positive reviews | **59.3% of reviews** | 44.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 512 MB | 66 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Google LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/281956209) | [Anh Nguyen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1632352487) |

## What reviewers say

### Google

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/google/id284815942)

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Free · Utilities, #16 Top Free, #146 Top Grossing · Utilities (US App Store)

This app provides a comprehensive search experience, integrating AI for quick answers and personalized content. It allows you to search using images, voice, or text, and offers features like song identification and real-time translation.

**Highlights:** AI Overviews for quick answers, Image search with Lens, Hum to Search for song identification, Personalized Discover feed, Real-time camera translation, Home screen search widget

**Features:** Apple Wallet, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (22)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 30 GB | $0.89 | per month |
| 100 GB | $1.99 | per month |
| 100 GB | $1.99 | per month |
| 100 GB | $1.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $2.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $2.99 | per month |
| Google AI Plus (400 GB) | $4.99 | per month |
| Google AI Plus (400 GB) | $4.99 | per month |
| Google AI Plus (2 TB) | $9.99 | per month |
| 2 TB | $9.99 | per month |
| 100 GB | $19.99 | per year |
| Google AI Pro (5 TB) | $19.99 | per month |
| Google AI Pro (5 TB) | $19.99 | per month |
| Google AI Pro (2 TB) | $19.99 | per month |
| 5 TB | $24.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $29.99 | per year |
| 200 GB | $29.99 | per year |
| Google AI Plus (400 GB) | $49.99 | per year |
| 10 TB | $49.99 | per month |
| Google AI Plus (2 TB) | $99.99 | per year |
| 30 TB | $149.99 | per month |
| 5 TB | $249.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Reliable and feature-packed
- 👍 Seamless integration with other Google services
- 🔍 Accurate and personalized search results
- 📱 Intuitive and smooth interface
- 🔍 Helpful Google Assistant

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🔍 Biased or irrelevant search results
- 📱 Slow performance and freezing issues
- 🔍 Forced use of Google Lens
- 🔍 Difficulty removing unwanted content from feed

**Reported bugs**

- Search bar freezes or takes a long time to load
- Tabs disappearing or not saving properly
- Inability to save images or access image search
- Crashing or force closing issues
- Inconsistent dark mode/light mode behavior

**Requested features**

- Option to disable Google Lens
- Improved tab management
- Ability to customize news feed interests
- Restore image download functionality
- Dedicated search mode for trucks and larger vehicles


### Lens

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lens-reverse-image-search-ai/id6455428400)

This app allows you to perform visual searches across multiple search engines simultaneously. Verify image authenticity, research people or places, find similar products, or locate celebrities using just an image.

**Highlights:** Multi-engine image search, Image source verification, People and place research, Product discovery, Celebrity search, Logo identification

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $39.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Premium | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 User friendly
- 💡 Helpful for identifying furniture
- 🚀 Accurate search results

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Confusing interface
- 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🐛 Unreliable performance
- 🔒 Unclear subscription model

**Reported bugs**

- Camera feature not working
- Account issues (disappearing accounts, unable to restore)
- Subscription issues (double charging, unable to cancel)

**Requested features**

- Clear search options
- Ability to clear search history
- Support for identifying non-consumer items


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Google free?

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

### Is Lens free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Google or Lens?

Google is rated higher. Google averages 4.6 out of 5 from 5.3M ratings, while Lens averages 4.4 from 1.3K ratings.

### Do Google or Lens have ads?

Both Google and Lens show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Google or Lens?

Google ships an update every 6 days, and Lens every 2 weeks. Most recently, Google was updated on October 26, 2026 and Lens on October 25, 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.*