# Backyard.ai vs Privistar

The clearest difference is update cadence: Privistar at fortnightly against Backyard.ai's every 2 months. Backyard.ai's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Backyard.ai sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Privistar sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Backyard.ai ships an update every 2 months, Privistar fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Backyard.ai | Privistar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.4 (37 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backyardai/id6498968886/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **37** | — |
| Positive reviews | 28.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 39 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Ahoy Labs, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1742076359) | [Privistar, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/6803435959) |

## What reviewers say

### Backyard.ai

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backyardai/id6498968886)

Engage in immersive text and voice conversations with AI-powered characters. Customize your characters with detailed backstories, notes, and visuals. Discover new adventures in a vibrant community and select from multiple AI models for unique interactions.

**Highlights:** AI-powered text and voice chat, Character customization (lore books, notes, images), Community hub for adventures, Choice of 12+ AI models, Extensive character memory

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Standard Plan AI Models | $6.99 | per month |
| Backyard Cloud Standard | $12.00 | per month |
| Backyard Cloud Pro | $34.99 | per month |
| Standard Plan - Yearly | $107.99 | per year |
| Pro Subscription - Yearly | $314.99 | per year |


### Privistar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/privistar/id6803435957)

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wallet $9.00 | $9.00 | one-time |
| Wallet $19.00 | $19.00 | one-time |
| Wallet $49.00 | $49.00 | one-time |
| Wallet $99.00 | $99.00 | one-time |
| Wallet $199.00 | $199.00 | one-time |
| Wallet $499.00 | $499.00 | one-time |
| Become a Star | $999.00 | one-time |
| Wallet $999.00 | $999.00 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Backyard.ai free?

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

### Is Privistar free?

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

### Do Backyard.ai or Privistar have ads?

Neither Backyard.ai nor Privistar shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Backyard.ai or Privistar?

Backyard.ai ships an update every 2 months, and Privistar fortnightly. Most recently, Backyard.ai was updated on October 22, 2026 and Privistar on October 12, 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.*