# theCHIVE vs Carson Valley

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Carson Valley at none against theCHIVE's 3. Carson Valley also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 4 weeks). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. theCHIVE sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Carson Valley asks for nothing beyond the download.

theCHIVE ships an update every 4 weeks, Carson Valley every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | theCHIVE | Carson Valley |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (168K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thechive/id448999087/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **168K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 21.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 45 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Chive Media Group, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/448999090) | [TenFore Technology LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1082235036) |

## What reviewers say

### theCHIVE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thechive/id448999087)

Discover a daily stream of amusing photos and videos curated for lighthearted entertainment. This app offers a unique blend of humor, visually appealing content, and heartwarming stories, providing a happy escape from daily life without politics or news.

**Highlights:** Daily dose of amusing photos and videos, Mix of humor, hotness, and humanity, Happy escape content, No politics or snarky humor, No news, purely entertainment

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Support | $4.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast content loading
- 👍 Great community and charity work
- 🚀 Smooth user experience (before recent updates)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 💸 Excessive and intrusive ads
- 🔍 Declining content quality and curation

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes and freezes
- Redirects to App Store or other sites
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Reduce ads or offer ad-free option
- Improve app stability and performance
- Restore previous app functionality


### Carson Valley

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carson-valley/id6759725511)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is theCHIVE free?

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

### Is Carson Valley free?

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

### Do theCHIVE or Carson Valley have ads?

theCHIVE shows ads; Carson Valley does not.

### Which is updated more often, theCHIVE or Carson Valley?

theCHIVE ships an update every 4 weeks, and Carson Valley every 8 days. Most recently, theCHIVE was updated on October 18, 2026 and Carson Valley on October 4, 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.*