# Finalist vs SideQuest

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SideQuest at 100% against Finalist's 76%. SideQuest also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days). Finalist's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (528 vs 8). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Finalist sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and SideQuest sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Finalist holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Finalist has 528 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of Finalist's written reviews are positive against 100% of SideQuest's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Finalist ships an update every 10 days, SideQuest every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Finalist | SideQuest |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (528 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/finalist-daily-planner/id6447014685/reviews)** | [4.4 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidequest-adhd-focus-rpg/id6759470375/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **528** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | 76.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#205** | — |
| Size | 121 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Diversion Marketing Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1629375927) | [Raymonjit Nijjar](https://appshunter.io/developer/1865816011) |

## What reviewers say

### Finalist

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

**Currently charting:** #205 Top Free · 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


### SideQuest

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidequest-adhd-focus-rpg/id6759470375)

Transform your to-do list into an epic RPG adventure. Complete tasks with a focus timer and unlock unique story chapters, characters, and loot. Designed for ADHD brains, it offers a compelling narrative to keep you engaged and motivated.

**Highlights:** RPG-style task completion, Customizable hero and world, Serialized narrative with recurring NPCs, Loot drops and equipment rewards, Flexible focus timer, Dynamic Island and Lock Screen widgets, Co-op focus sessions via SharePlay

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Side Quest Pro (Monthly) | $9.99 | per month |
| Side Quest Pro (Annual) | $79.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Finalist free?

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

### Is SideQuest free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Finalist or SideQuest?

Finalist is rated higher. Finalist averages 4.7 out of 5 from 528 ratings, while SideQuest averages 4.4 from 8 ratings.

### Do Finalist or SideQuest have ads?

Neither Finalist nor SideQuest shows ads.

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

Finalist ships an update every 10 days, and SideQuest every 4 days. Most recently, Finalist was updated on November 3, 2026 and SideQuest on October 31, 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.*