Comparison

CanvasGraph vs Hal Universal

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

CanvasGraph

Features
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Tracking what happens in your life can be reliable, easy, and fun. Use emojis created by users or draw your own. Track and verify your daily events and changes in a convenient way. Share your sketches with the community.

About

Hal Universal

Features
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Hal Universal is an on-device AI you can actually understand. Most assistants are a black box. Hal is the opposite. He shows you how he works, remembers across conversations, and gives you real tools to experiment with, all running on your device. SEE HOW IT THINKS Hal shows the work. Tap any answer to see exactly how the prompt was built: the system prompt, memory retrieved, self-knowledge, temporal context, and the token budget, each broken out and counted. When Hal remembers something, he tells you how. When he does not know, he says so. A LAB TO EXPERIMENT AND LEARN Hal is not just a window into how AI works. He is a workbench. The Lab gives you real tools to go deeper: write and run on-device automation scripts, open a local API so your own projects can talk to Hal, and use the built-in command line to drive him directly. Tinker, watch what happens, and learn more about how these systems actually behave. GENUINELY PRIVATE When you use a local model, your conversations never leave your device. No network calls. No server. When you use Apple Intelligence, inference is on-device when offline; when connected, Apple's Private Cloud Compute may be used (encrypted in transit, processed in non-persistent memory). A SELF THAT EVOLVES Hal remembers across conversations, weighted by recency and relevance. He also reflects on his own experience. Shaped by his interactions with you, Hal keeps a Self Model: his own reflections, practical and existential, on how he works and who he is becoming. These are his, written and revised by Hal himself as he learns, not edited by you. He decides which to keep private and which to make shareable, and you can read them all. An AI that changes over time, in the open. MANY VOICES Apple Intelligence is built in, always available. Or download a curated library of tested local models, from small and fast to Ternary Bonsai 8B, an eight-billion-parameter reasoner that still runs entirely on your device. Each has a distinct voice. SALON MODE Put up to four voices in one conversation, either independent or building on each other. Every voice is labeled. There is no hidden orchestration. LISTEN TO HAL Have Hal read his answers aloud, in a voice you choose, at a speed you set. For anyone who wants to understand AI instead of just using it, Hal is a transparent system you can inspect, tune, and learn from. Local models are validated on iPhone 16 and 17 family devices.

Screenshots

CanvasGraph4 screens
Hal Universal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: CanvasGraph at every 10 days against Hal Universal's every 6 weeks. CanvasGraph also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CanvasGraph ships an update every 10 days, Hal Universal every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
CanvasGraph versus Hal Universal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCanvasGraphHal Universal
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 10 days โ€” betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 โ€” better26.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size61 MB30 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperNatalia SwierczynaMark Friedlander

In-app purchases

None

CanvasGraph

No in-app purchases

None

Hal Universal

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CanvasGraph free?
CanvasGraph is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hal Universal free?
Hal Universal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do CanvasGraph or Hal Universal have ads?
Neither CanvasGraph nor Hal Universal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CanvasGraph or Hal Universal?
CanvasGraph ships an update every 10 days, and Hal Universal every 6 weeks. Most recently, CanvasGraph was updated on October 6, 2026 and Hal Universal on October 1, 2026.

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