# NORTH Research Study vs Thrive Recovery

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: NORTH Research Study at 13.0 against Thrive Recovery's 15.1. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

NORTH Research Study ships an update every 2 months, Thrive Recovery every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NORTH Research Study | Thrive Recovery |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Size | 53 MB | 98 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Benjamin Buck](https://appshunter.io/developer/1649651898) | [Corey Roos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1647181228) |

## What reviewers say

### NORTH Research Study

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/north-research-study/id6443820086)

**In-app purchases:** none


### Thrive Recovery

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thrive-recovery/id6468518352)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NORTH Research Study free?

NORTH Research Study is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Thrive Recovery free?

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

### Do NORTH Research Study or Thrive Recovery have ads?

Neither NORTH Research Study nor Thrive Recovery shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, NORTH Research Study or Thrive Recovery?

NORTH Research Study ships an update every 2 months, and Thrive Recovery every 6 weeks. Most recently, NORTH Research Study was updated on October 7, 2026 and Thrive Recovery on October 9, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*