# Beat the Microbead vs Pinacle

The clearest difference is ads: Pinacle at none against Beat the Microbead's shown. Pinacle also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). Beat the Microbead's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Beat the Microbead ships an update every 3 months, Pinacle every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Beat the Microbead | Pinacle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beat-the-microbead/id573546717/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **25** | — |
| Positive reviews | 32.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Size | 52 MB | 240 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Plastic Soup Foundation](https://appshunter.io/developer/920784969) | [Konnecta Systems](https://appshunter.io/developer/1726209748) |

## What reviewers say

### Beat the Microbead

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beat-the-microbead/id573546717)

Quickly check cosmetics and personal care products for plastic ingredients by scanning their ingredient lists. Receive a traffic light rating and discover certified microplastic-free brands to make informed, eco-friendly choices.

**Highlights:** Scan product ingredients for microplastics, Text recognition technology, Traffic light rating system (Red, Orange, Green), Discover certified microplastic-free brands, Contribute to a database against microplastics, Barcode scanning

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Pinacle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pinacle/id6744607019)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Beat the Microbead free?

Beat the Microbead is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Pinacle free?

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

### Do Beat the Microbead or Pinacle have ads?

Beat the Microbead shows ads; Pinacle does not.

### Which is updated more often, Beat the Microbead or Pinacle?

Beat the Microbead ships an update every 3 months, and Pinacle every 3 weeks. Most recently, Beat the Microbead was updated on October 8, 2026 and Pinacle on September 22, 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.*