Garden vs River by Lifeworld
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Garden
A quiet social space for creators to share ideas, moments, and work without the pressure of likes or followers. Focus on inspiration and human connection, then move on with your day.
- No likes or followers
- No infinite scrolling
- Temporary content sharing
- Focus on inspiration
- Human-centric design
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Garden is a place for people who make things. It’s a quiet creative community without likes, followers, or infinite scrolling. Just ideas, moments, and work shared in a way that feels human and temporary. Show up to share something, find inspiration, then have a nice day.
River by Lifeworld
This app provides a private space to capture and share moments, thoughts, and interests with specific people. It offers a unique way to explore your passions and connect disparate ideas and memories.
- Private journaling
- Share anything
- Explore interests
- Connect scattered thoughts
- Share with specific people
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River is a diary to stay close to everything you care about. - A perfect place to share anything you want - A different way to explore your interests - A new approach to connect all the scattered dots Your favorite new song, a random shower thought, an absurd license plate – share it with those who made you think of them. Closeness can change everything.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: River by Lifeworld at 46 against Garden's 4. Garden's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Garden holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: River by Lifeworld has 46 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Garden ships an update fortnightly, River by Lifeworld monthly. Both last shipped on November 4, 2026.
| Parameter | Garden | River by Lifeworld |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better | 4.8 (46 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 96.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 46 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 81 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Internet Friends LLC | Lifeworld, Co. |
Customer experience
Garden
River by Lifeworld
In-app purchases
Garden
No in-app purchases
River by Lifeworld
No in-app purchases
