# Ben's Virtues vs Pocket Marcus

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ben's Virtues at none against Pocket Marcus's 2. Ben's Virtues also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 7 months). Pocket Marcus's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pocket Marcus sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Ben's Virtues asks for nothing beyond the download.

Ben's Virtues ships an update every 4 weeks, Pocket Marcus every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ben's Virtues | Pocket Marcus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (37 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bens-virtues/id333333687/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **37** | — |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 weeks** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 31 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Reason Interactive](https://appshunter.io/developer/333333690) | [Eelco Plugge](https://appshunter.io/developer/1826494041) |

## What reviewers say

### Ben's Virtues

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bens-virtues/id333333687)

This app helps you cultivate personal growth by tracking your adherence to thirteen virtues, inspired by Benjamin Franklin's original plan. Review your day nightly and mark transgressions to improve your conduct over time.

**Highlights:** Thirteen virtue tracking chart, Weekly virtue focus, Daily transgression marking, Yearly cycle completion, Personal conduct regulation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and clean design
- 💡 Great idea for self-improvement
- ✅ Easy to use
- ✨ Inspiring and practical
- 🎯 Helps with personal growth

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 Data loss and resets
- 🐛 Blank screen issues
- 🐛 Inconsistent functionality
- 🐛 Not working on newer OS/devices

**Reported bugs**

- Blank screen
- Crashes every time it's opened
- App no longer works
- Keeps resetting and losing progress
- Data doesn't get stored or saved

**Requested features**

- Allow setting custom start day
- Enable marking all virtues daily
- Allow adding custom virtues
- Improve visibility of virtue tracking
- Option to export data


### Pocket Marcus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-marcus/id6748599823)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Student of Stoicism | $2.99 | per month |
| Philosopher Companion | $3.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ben's Virtues free?

Ben's Virtues is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Pocket Marcus free?

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

### Do Ben's Virtues or Pocket Marcus have ads?

Neither Ben's Virtues nor Pocket Marcus shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ben's Virtues or Pocket Marcus?

Ben's Virtues ships an update every 4 weeks, and Pocket Marcus every 7 months. Most recently, Ben's Virtues was updated on October 23, 2026 and Pocket Marcus on October 28, 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.*