# Column Social vs Root

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Root at none against Column Social's 10. Root also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Column Social's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Column Social sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.00 per month. Root asks for nothing beyond the download.

Column Social ships an update every 3 weeks, Root weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Column Social | Root |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/root-debate-and-discuss/id6761019717/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 31 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Column Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1605214840) | [Marcus Holloway](https://appshunter.io/developer/1887340650) |

## What reviewers say

### Column Social

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/column-social/id6502400180)

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Medical Insights Hub | $1.00 | per month |
| Design Inspiration | $1.00 | per month |
| Future of Water | $1.00 | per month |
| Future of Concrete | $1.00 | per month |
| Studio Visit | $1.00 | per month |
| Future of Katerva | $1.00 | per month |
| Oceans & Reefs | $1.00 | per month |
| Fun Learning | $5.00 | per month |
| Market Megatrends | $5.00 | per month |
| Eternal September | $19.99 | per month |


### Root

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/root-debate-and-discuss/id6761019717)

Engage in structured debates on current events and thought-provoking questions. Share your reasoning, see community stances, and join live discussions. Submit your own questions to drive conversations.

**Highlights:** Take a stance on debates, Share reasoning and cite sources, View community breakdowns, Join live AI-moderated discussions, Submit custom debate questions, Browse trending and curated questions

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Column Social free?

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

### Is Root free?

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

### Do Column Social or Root have ads?

Column Social shows ads; Root does not.

### Which is updated more often, Column Social or Root?

Column Social ships an update every 3 weeks, and Root weekly. Most recently, Column Social was updated on November 8, 2026 and Root on November 5, 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.*