# Xenova vs Optional

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Optional at none against Xenova's 4. Xenova's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Xenova sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Optional asks for nothing beyond the download.

Xenova ships an update weekly, Optional monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Xenova | Optional |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (275 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xenova-ai-chat-and-assistant/id6446125657/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **275** | — |
| Positive reviews | 68.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 71 MB | 57 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Dmitrii Medvedev](https://appshunter.io/developer/1549208673) | [Chandan Kumar Dash](https://appshunter.io/developer/1810937454) |

## What reviewers say

### Xenova

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xenova-ai-chat-and-assistant/id6446125657)

Engage in real-time conversations with advanced AI models. This app offers web search capabilities, allows interaction with diverse AI characters, and remembers chat context. Enjoy a user-friendly interface with customizable settings and access to your conversation history.

**Highlights:** Real-time AI response generation, Web search integration, Chat with different AI characters, Context-aware conversations, Regenerate AI responses, Chat history access

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Premium access | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium access | $17.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium access | $39.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $59.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful AI assistant
- 💡 Great for research and learning
- 🚀 Quick and relevant answers
- ✨ Useful for writing and brainstorming
- 🌟 Saves time and effort

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Program has worsened
- 🐛 AI lies and asks nonsense
- 🐛 Daily answer limit imposed
- 🐛 Paid version not working
- 🐛 Error -999

**Reported bugs**

- Paid version not working
- Error -999
- App constantly freezes
- Requires VPN to function
- Image generation not working

**Requested features**

- Allow payment without Apple ID
- Add Mac version for M1 processor
- Add desktop version
- Allow editing/deleting own prompts
- Add widgets for lock screen, status bar, widget panel


### Optional

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/optional/id6745134089)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Xenova free?

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

### Is Optional free?

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

### Do Xenova or Optional have ads?

Neither Xenova nor Optional shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Xenova or Optional?

Xenova ships an update weekly, and Optional monthly. Most recently, Xenova was updated on November 3, 2026 and Optional on October 30, 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.*