Comparison

Beat the Microbead vs The Merkaba Method

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Beat the Microbead

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
Read full description

The Beat the Microbead app is the fastest way to learn if your cosmetics and personal care products contain plastic ingredients. This app uses state-of-the-art text recognition technology. Just scan the ingredients of your products and check them for microplastics. Not only that, but you can also get to know microplastic-free brands certified by us. How does it work? It’s straightforward: you can scan products with four easy steps: - Find the ingredients list on your product. - Position the full list within your camera frame. - Make sure the ingredients are clear to read. - Take a picture to scan! A traffic light rating system - RED: Products that contain microplastics. - ORANGE: Products that contain what we call “sceptical” microplastics. With this, we mean synthetic polymers for which there is not enough information available. - GREEN: Products that do not contain microplastics. Help us enrich our database! Every time you add a product to our database, you help us build a case against microplastics. With every product information, we can create evidence and convince authorities about the extensive use of plastic ingredients. A bit of extra effort on your side makes you a part of the fight against microplastics in cosmetics and care products. So, go ahead, scan the barcode of your product and help us get some more information! By adding the products to our database, you can also discover our certified microplastic-free brands. These brands have their entire range of products free of all known microplastic ingredients. Why is it important? Plastic in cosmetics is a global problem! Microplastics are hardly visible ingredients that pollute our planet & may pose health risks. These microplastics, hardly visible to the naked eye, flow straight from the bathroom drain into the sewer system. Microplastics are not biodegradable, and once they enter the (marine) environment, they are almost impossible to remove. Sea animals absorb or eat microplastics; these particles are passed along the marine food chain. Since humans are ultimately at the top of this food chain, it is likely that we also ingest microplastics. Using body washes or cosmetics that contain microplastics can put the ocean, ourselves, and our children at risk! With this app, you can get aware of this issue and make environmentally friendly choices. Who is behind this app? The collaborators behind this app include the following partners: Plastic Soup Foundation: NGO based in Amsterdam, initiators of the worldwide campaign “Beat the Microbead”. Their mission: No plastic in our water or our bodies! PINCH: a renowned mobile development agency from Amsterdam that is proud of their work for the Plastic Soup Foundation.

About

The Merkaba Method

This app supports your health and fitness goals by allowing you to book classes, participate in challenges, and stay updated on club news. It integrates with Apple Health to track your progress, including steps, distance, and calories burned, and can import data from wearable devices.

Highlights
  • Book classes online
  • Participate in fitness challenges
  • View club news and offers
  • Apple Health integration
  • Track steps, distance, and calories
  • Import data from wearables
Features
Read full description

Guiding you through your health and fitness journey! - Book classes online in just a few clicks - Take part in regular fitness challenges - See all the latest club news, offers and events Apple Health App Integration Track your progress with our HealthKit app integration to import and measure your daily steps, distance or calories burnt. Also use HealthKit to import your data from a range of different wearable devices.

Screenshots

Beat the Microbead4 screens
The Merkaba Method4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: The Merkaba Method at none against Beat the Microbead's shown. The Merkaba Method also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Beat the Microbead's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Merkaba Method holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 28 and 23 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Beat the Microbead versus The Merkaba Method: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBeat the MicrobeadThe Merkaba Method
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (28 ratings)5.0 (23 ratings) — better
Positive reviews32.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings28 — better23
Update frequencyEvery 3 months—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB58 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPlastic Soup FoundationTeamUp Sports

In-app purchases

None

Beat the Microbead

No in-app purchases

None

The Merkaba Method

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Beat the Microbead free?
Beat the Microbead is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Merkaba Method free?
The Merkaba Method is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Beat the Microbead or The Merkaba Method?
The Merkaba Method is rated higher. Beat the Microbead averages 4.5 out of 5 from 28 ratings, while The Merkaba Method averages 5.0 from 23 ratings.
Do Beat the Microbead or The Merkaba Method have ads?
Beat the Microbead shows ads; The Merkaba Method does not.

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