# Kickstarter vs ActuBene

The clearest difference is ads: ActuBene at none against Kickstarter's shown. ActuBene also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 4 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). Kickstarter's advantage is chart position (#168 vs unranked). 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.

Kickstarter ships an update every 4 weeks, ActuBene every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Kickstarter | ActuBene |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (59K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kickstarter-projects-you-love/id596961532/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **59K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 32.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#168** | — |
| Size | 129 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Kickstarter, PBC](https://appshunter.io/developer/596961535) | [Nikolay Ivanov](https://appshunter.io/developer/6789175873) |

## What reviewers say

### Kickstarter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kickstarter-projects-you-love/id596961532)

**Currently charting:** #168 Top Free · Social Networking (US App Store)

Explore and support innovative projects across various creative fields. Discover groundbreaking ideas in games, technology, art, and more. Pledge to projects that inspire you and stay updated on their progress.

**Highlights:** Discover creative projects globally, Pledge to projects, Receive project updates, Track backings, Join a global creative community

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Handy tracker for backed projects
- 👍 Great app and great service
- 🚀 Bypass the traditional economy!
- 👍 Very nice
- 👍 Excellent

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Works well enough unless you support a lot of projects
- 🐛 App is very buggy
- 🔒 Scammers Paradise
- 🔒 Don't fall into the trap
- 🔒 platform setup to scam you

**Reported bugs**

- Explore tab broken in latest update
- Notifications not working correctly
- Activity feed not updating
- Issues with submitting surveys through the app
- Clunky UI, especially when updating pledges

**Requested features**

- Allow filtering backed projects by status (received, active, closed)
- Ability to follow creators directly in the app
- Improve comments section (threading, search, etc.)
- Add an archive/delete function for completed/cancelled projects
- Introduce a read/unread project status


### ActuBene

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/actubene/id6789175871)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Kickstarter free?

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

### Is ActuBene free?

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

### Do Kickstarter or ActuBene have ads?

Kickstarter shows ads; ActuBene does not.

### Which is updated more often, Kickstarter or ActuBene?

Kickstarter ships an update every 4 weeks, and ActuBene every 3 days. Most recently, Kickstarter was updated on October 26, 2026 and ActuBene on October 11, 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.*