# ThingLink vs HDReye

The clearest difference is rating: HDReye at 4.5 against ThingLink's 3.8. HDReye also leads on ratings volume (771 vs 10) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). ThingLink's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and review sentiment (38% vs 29%). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. HDReye sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. ThingLink asks for nothing beyond the download.

HDReye holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HDReye has 771 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 38% of ThingLink's written reviews are positive against 29% of HDReye's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

ThingLink ships an update every 3 months, HDReye monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ThingLink | HDReye |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thinglink/id647304300/reviews) | **[4.5 (771 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hdreye/id1566721813/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 10 | **771** |
| Positive reviews | **37.7% of reviews** | 28.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 30 MB | 90 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thinglink](https://appshunter.io/developer/641524540) | [HDReye Technologies Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1691298419) |

## What reviewers say

### ThingLink

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thinglink/id647304300)

Create engaging interactive experiences with images, videos, and 360 media. Add clickable tags to build virtual tours and learning materials. Supports over 80 languages with Immersive Reader integration.

**Highlights:** Create interactive images, videos, and 360 media, Add clickable tags with text and audio, Build virtual tours and learning experiences, Immersive Reader integration for 80+ languages, Track engagement and learning analytics, Mobile device camera integration

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
- 🎓 Great for educational purposes and student engagement
- 🖼️ Excellent multimedia capabilities with video and image linking
- 💻 Works across multiple devices (laptops and mobile)
- 🔗 Multiple links can be added to single images

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and glitches
- ❌ Data loss - work deleted after saving
- 🔐 Login and authentication issues
- ⚠️ White screen glitches and broken functionality
- 🔄 Inconsistent performance and reliability

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when taking photos or videos
- Icon options fail to download (infinite spinning)
- Login functionality broken or extremely difficult
- Projects deleted unexpectedly
- White screen display on startup

**Requested features**

- Landscape mode support
- Ability to edit images after publishing
- Reduce size of hotspot symbols
- Longer video duration limits
- Ability to tag images within images


### HDReye

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hdreye/id1566721813)

Create custom 360° HDRi images for realistic 3D lighting and compositing directly from your phone. Capture bracketed panoramas and generate 32-bit EXR files for seamless integration with 3D software and AR development.

**Highlights:** Create 360° HDRi images, Shoot bracketed multi-exposure panoramas, Generate 32-bit .EXR files, Realistic 3D lighting and compositing, Image-based lighting solution, Access to crowdsourced HDRi collection

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HDReye Pro | $6.99 | per month |
| HDReye Pro | $6.99 | per month |
| HDReye Pro | $39.99 | per year |
| Asset unlock | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 High-quality stitching
- 💡 Convenient for VFX work
- 🚀 Fast processing
- 👍 Intuitive workflow

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Paywall to preview/download
- 🐛 Inconsistent stitching quality
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🐛 Crashes and server issues
- 🔒 No offline processing

**Reported bugs**

- Account deletion issues
- Stuck on processing/uploading
- Disappearing credits

**Requested features**

- Free trial or preview option
- Ability to stitch locally on device
- One-time purchase option
- Improved stitching algorithm


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ThingLink free?

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

### Is HDReye free?

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

### Which has better reviews, ThingLink or HDReye?

HDReye is rated higher. ThingLink averages 3.8 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while HDReye averages 4.5 from 771 ratings.

### Do ThingLink or HDReye have ads?

Neither ThingLink nor HDReye shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ThingLink or HDReye?

ThingLink ships an update every 3 months, and HDReye monthly. Most recently, ThingLink was updated on October 8, 2026 and HDReye on October 11, 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.*