INITIAL vs Toby
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
INITIAL
Discover a unique shopping journey with this application. It offers an unusual and engaging way to explore products and find what you're looking for.
- Unique shopping experience
- Product exploration
- Engaging interface
- Fashion discovery
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Latest initial Mobile App: Explore unusual shopping experience
Toby
Find and book local services in Hong Kong, from home cleaning and elderly care to beauty appointments and home renovation. Connect with professionals, compare quotes, and access exclusive offers.
- Instant service professional matching
- Compare quotes and profiles
- Book home services directly
- Discover beauty and wellness merchants
- Decoration inspiration and consultant booking
- In-app chat with service pros
- Map search for nearby merchants
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Download Toby to find the best quality service. *New users can enjoy a $30 off with coupon code "APPONLY" when placing an order with the App. Toby is the largest lifestyle service marketplace in Hong Kong. Anyone who has any service needs in life, we can contact suitable service pros or merchants for you to provide the best quality service. Instant match with Pros, easy to get quotes Based on your service requirements, Toby will match you with the right Pros instantly. You can compare their profiles, check service items and quotes, contact them directly, and finally choose the one that suits you best. High-quality home service, simple and direct booking From household cleaning to elderly care, formaldehyde removal to air-conditioning cleaning, we take care of your home in an all-round way. You can book the services you need directly in Toby, and our trained professional team will come home to provide you with the best quality service. Explore all merchants in Hong Kong and enjoy exclusive offers Toby collects all Hong Kong massage shops, nail salons, hair salons, and facial centers, and provides you with the latest information, user reviews, and discounts. You can book your favorite shops or purchase deals through Toby easily. Search for decoration inspiration, book free decoration consultant Browse more than 20,000 images at any time to get decoration inspiration. You can even make an appointment with Toby's free decoration consultant. We will recommend 3 decoration & design companies and provide quotations for you, and follow up for you throughout the process to prevent unfinished refurbishment. More features/functions - Chat room for you to easily contact service pros directly - Bookmark your favorite pros/merchants/decoration inspiration at any time - Use the map to search for nearby merchants - Variety of payment methods (Online / Offline) - Flexible cancellation and refund policy - Enjoy App limited promotional offers - More than 800 service categories - 100,000+ service pros - 10,000+ local merchants - One App to solve any service needs in life
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: INITIAL at 100% against Toby's 48%. INITIAL also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 7). Toby's advantage is ratings volume (75 vs 2) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Toby sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. INITIAL asks for nothing beyond the download.
INITIAL holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Toby has 75 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of INITIAL's written reviews are positive against 48% of Toby's.
INITIAL ships an update every 2 months, Toby every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | INITIAL | Toby |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 4.3 (75 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 47.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 75 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 45 MB | 107 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | INITIAL FASHION CO., LIMITED | Toby Technology Limited, Hong Kong SAR |
Customer experience
INITIAL
Toby
In-app purchases
INITIAL
No in-app purchases
Toby
- 100$33.99
- 100 Credits$33.99
- 300$94.99
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- 300 Credits$94.99
- 500$149.99
- 1000$299.99
- 1000 Credits$299.99
