# VATER vs ISRU

The clearest difference is ads: VATER at none against ISRU's shown. VATER also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 65%) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). ISRU's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for VATER against 4.6 for ISRU. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 14 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of VATER's written reviews are positive against 65% of ISRU's.

VATER ships an update every 3 weeks, ISRU every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | VATER | ISRU |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vater/id6504540469/reviews) | [4.6 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/isru/id6743388136/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **14** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 65.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 62 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [WUON LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896181071) | [Tom Sachs Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1802562987) |

## What reviewers say

### VATER

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vater/id6504540469)

Engage in a social movement to "VATE" and reclaim your "light." Earn Vates by completing challenges, creating events, and inspiring others to move. Climb leaderboards and discover new challenges on a dynamic map.

**Highlights:** Earn Vates through challenges, Create events to "VATE" places, Climb leaderboards, Discover challenges on a map, Daily Vate gifting, Community movement focus

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### ISRU

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/isru/id6743388136)

Engage in creative and athletic challenges designed to foster personal growth. Track your achievements on a leaderboard and your unique ID card. Embrace excellence through participation and find reward in the process.

**Highlights:** Creative and athletic challenges, Progress tracking, Leaderboard participation, Personal ID card, Focus on excellence through participation

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Exciting challenge
- 💡 Chance to win Mars Yard 3.0

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app
- 🐛 Lagging pages
- 🐛 Images deleting during daily logging
- 🐛 Incorrect point tallying
- 🐛 Time zone issues

**Reported bugs**

- Can't submit logs
- Sign up is broken

**Requested features**

- Seamless user experience
- Properly functioning app


## Frequently asked questions

### Is VATER free?

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

### Is ISRU free?

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

### Which has better reviews, VATER or ISRU?

VATER and ISRU are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 9 and 14 ratings respectively.

### Do VATER or ISRU have ads?

ISRU shows ads; VATER does not.

### Which is updated more often, VATER or ISRU?

VATER ships an update every 3 weeks, and ISRU every 6 days. Most recently, VATER was updated on September 28, 2026 and ISRU 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.*