# Essential Launcher vs Task Salad

The clearest difference is price: Essential Launcher at Free against Task Salad's $1.99. Task Salad's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 11 days). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Essential Launcher is free to download; Task Salad costs $1.99 up front. Essential Launcher sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Task Salad asks for nothing beyond the download.

Essential Launcher ships an update every 11 days, Task Salad every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Essential Launcher | Task Salad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | **[4.6 (36 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essential-launcher/id6590616999/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **36** | — |
| Positive reviews | 88.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 41 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Patrik Racskai](https://appshunter.io/developer/1728193737) | [Masao Narumi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1759494772) |

## What reviewers say

### Essential Launcher

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essential-launcher/id6590616999)

This app offers a minimalist home screen experience designed to reduce distractions and limit screen time. Customize your interface with only essential applications to promote focus and productivity.

**Highlights:** Minimalist home screen, Reduce distractions, Limit screen time, Customize essential apps, Clean, intuitive interface, Dark and light modes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Discounted | $0.99 | per month |
| Annual Discounted | $3.99 | per year |
| Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Annual | $12.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Free | Free | one-time |
| Lifetime | $5.99 | one-time |


### Task Salad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/task-salad/id6742398327)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Essential Launcher free?

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

### Is Task Salad free?

Task Salad costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Essential Launcher or Task Salad have ads?

Neither Essential Launcher nor Task Salad shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Essential Launcher or Task Salad?

Essential Launcher ships an update every 11 days, and Task Salad every 3 days. Most recently, Essential Launcher was updated on November 5, 2026 and Task Salad on October 30, 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.*