# Finalist vs Researchist

The clearest difference is chart position: Finalist at #179 against Researchist's unranked. Finalist also leads on device support (5 vs 3) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 27.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Finalist sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Researchist sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $39.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Finalist ships an update every 10 days, Researchist fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Finalist | Researchist |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (519 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/finalist-daily-planner/id6447014685/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **519** | — |
| Positive reviews | 75.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#179** | — |
| Size | 121 MB | 113 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 27.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Diversion Marketing Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1629375927) | [Essayist Software Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1537845386) |

## What reviewers say

### Finalist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/finalist-daily-planner/id6447014685)

**Currently charting:** #179 Top Grossing · Productivity (US App Store)

This app combines your calendar, tasks, reminders, and weather into a single, visually appealing timeline. It integrates with your journal and activity data to inspire your planning. Enjoy a beautiful and joyful planning experience without complex workflows.

**Highlights:** Unified timeline view, Calendar, task, and reminder integration, Weather forecast display, Journal and activity ring integration, Customizable themes, Native Apple technology integration

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Finalist Pro Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Finalist Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Finalist Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Finalist Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Finalist Pro Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Finalist Lifetime | $59.99 | one-time |
| Finalist Pro Lifetime | $59.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive day-based organization system
- ✨ Beautiful, thoughtfully designed interface
- 📅 Excellent calendar and reminders integration
- 🎯 Perfect balance of simplicity and functionality
- 📝 Effective task management with bring-forward feature

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes on macOS and when accessing settings
- 🐛 App crashes when opening preferences
- ⚠️ Inconsistent subscription recognition issues
- ⚠️ Confusing pricing structure with multiple tiers
- ⚠️ Limited event creation capabilities

**Reported bugs**

- Settings/preferences crash the app
- Pro subscription not recognized after canceling auto-renewal
- Weather widget fails to display without manual toggling
- App freezes and becomes unresponsive on iPad
- Empty tasks cannot be permanently deleted

**Requested features**

- Apple Watch native app
- Recurring/repeating tasks and reminders
- Subtasks functionality
- Task tagging and filtering
- Event location and travel time details


### Researchist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/researchist-pdf-reader/id6749282472)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Researchist Pro (Yearly) | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Finalist free?

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

### Is Researchist free?

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

### Do Finalist or Researchist have ads?

Neither Finalist nor Researchist shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Finalist or Researchist?

Finalist ships an update every 10 days, and Researchist fortnightly. Most recently, Finalist was updated on October 30, 2026 and Researchist on October 28, 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.*