# Gmail vs Varuna

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Varuna at none against Gmail's 14. Varuna also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). Gmail's advantage is chart position (#3 vs unranked). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Gmail sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Varuna asks for nothing beyond the download.

Gmail ships an update weekly, Varuna every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Gmail | Varuna |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gmail-email-by-google/id422689480/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2.5M** | — |
| Positive reviews | 29.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#3** | — |
| Size | 707 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Google LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/281956209) | [Canarys Automations Pvt. Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/913185429) |

## What reviewers say

### Gmail

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gmail-email-by-google/id422689480)

**Currently charting:** #3 Top Grossing · Productivity, #6 Top Free · Productivity, #20 Top Grossing, #23 Top Free (US App Store)

Manage your emails efficiently with intelligent AI features, robust security, and real-time notifications. This app offers multiple account support, smart search, and tools to declutter your inbox and stay organized.

**Highlights:** AI-powered email summarization and response drafting, Intelligent search across all mail, Automatic spam, phishing, and malware blocking, Multiple email account support, Email subscription management, Integration with Google Meet and Chat

**Features:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 100 GB | $1.99 | per month |
| 100 GB | $1.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $2.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $2.99 | per month |
| 2 TB | $9.99 | per month |
| Google AI Plus (2 TB) | $9.99 | per month |
| 100 GB | $19.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient email management
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 🔒 Secure and reliable
- 😊 Positive user experience overall

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 💡 Lacking advanced features
- 🔒 Security concerns
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly

**Reported bugs**

- Notifications not working properly
- Emails disappearing from inbox
- Inability to remove accounts
- Conversation view issues

**Requested features**

- Swipe to delete/snooze emails
- Ability to mark all emails as read
- Customizable notification settings
- Improved file attachment functionality


### Varuna

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/varuna/id6740193633)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Gmail free?

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

### Is Varuna free?

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

### Do Gmail or Varuna have ads?

Gmail shows ads; Varuna does not.

### Which is updated more often, Gmail or Varuna?

Gmail ships an update weekly, and Varuna every 5 days. Most recently, Gmail was updated on November 3, 2026 and Varuna 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.*