# Menu Box vs AEK

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: AEK at none against Menu Box's 4. AEK also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 17.5). Menu Box's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Menu Box sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. AEK asks for nothing beyond the download.

Menu Box ships an update fortnightly, AEK every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Menu Box | AEK |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/menu-box/id6463440793/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **14** | — |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 31 MB | 101 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **9.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Snailed It Development Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1493284299) | [GUANDDONG TIANPU TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO.,LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1637560013) |

## What reviewers say

### Menu Box

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/menu-box/id6463440793)

Create visually appealing menus for your device's shortcuts. Customize menu items with emojis, app icons, or custom images to build personalized automations. Dynamically generate menus on the fly for advanced shortcut customization.

**Highlights:** Create beautiful menus for Shortcuts, Customize with emojis, SF Symbols, or custom images, Attach custom data to menu items, Fully controllable via Shortcuts, Dynamically create menus on the fly, Enhance Action Button functionality

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $4.99 | per year |
| Tip Jar - Small | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tip Jar - Medium | $2.99 | one-time |
| Tip Jar - Large | $4.99 | one-time |


### AEK

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aek/id6738582086)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Menu Box free?

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

### Is AEK free?

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

### Do Menu Box or AEK have ads?

Neither Menu Box nor AEK shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Menu Box or AEK?

Menu Box ships an update fortnightly, and AEK every 4 months. Most recently, Menu Box was updated on October 1, 2026 and AEK on October 20, 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.*