# theCHIVE vs Alien Reader

The clearest difference is rating: theCHIVE at 4.6 against Alien Reader's 2.2. theCHIVE also leads on ratings volume (168K vs 6). Alien Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

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

theCHIVE holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: theCHIVE has 168K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 21% of theCHIVE's written reviews are positive against 33% of Alien Reader's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

theCHIVE ships an update every 4 weeks, Alien Reader every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | theCHIVE | Alien Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (168K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thechive/id448999087/reviews)** | [2.2 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alien-reader/id734265291/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **168K** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 21.0% of reviews | **33.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 45 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **7.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Chive Media Group, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/448999090) | [Kesav Mulakaluri](https://appshunter.io/developer/711835069) |

## 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


### Alien Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alien-reader/id734265291)

This app offers a streamlined mobile browsing experience for Reddit, inspired by browser extensions. It features full-size image previews and intuitive swipe gestures for voting, aiming to enhance user interaction.

**Highlights:** Reddit browsing, Full-size image previews, Swipe to vote gestures, Mobile enhancement suite, Simplified interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is theCHIVE free?

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

### Is Alien Reader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, theCHIVE or Alien Reader?

theCHIVE is rated higher. theCHIVE averages 4.6 out of 5 from 168K ratings, while Alien Reader averages 2.2 from 6 ratings.

### Do theCHIVE or Alien Reader have ads?

theCHIVE shows ads; Alien Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, theCHIVE or Alien Reader?

theCHIVE ships an update every 4 weeks, and Alien Reader every 2 weeks. Most recently, theCHIVE was updated on October 13, 2026 and Alien Reader on September 16, 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.*