# RateBud vs CharacterLinks

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RateBud at none against CharacterLinks's 1. CharacterLinks's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 18 months) and iOS requirement (16.6 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CharacterLinks sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. RateBud asks for nothing beyond the download.

RateBud ships an update every 18 months, CharacterLinks every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | RateBud | CharacterLinks |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 18 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Size | 5 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16.6** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Michael Steurer](https://appshunter.io/developer/984557127) | [军强 蒋](https://appshunter.io/developer/1878277968) |

## What reviewers say

### RateBud

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ratebud/id6449815372)

**In-app purchases:** none


### CharacterLinks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/characterlinks/id6759692159)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CharacterLinks | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is RateBud free?

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

### Is CharacterLinks free?

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

### Do RateBud or CharacterLinks have ads?

Neither RateBud nor CharacterLinks shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, RateBud or CharacterLinks?

RateBud ships an update every 18 months, and CharacterLinks every 6 weeks. Most recently, RateBud was updated on October 25, 2026 and CharacterLinks 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.*