# Tesseract vs CARMA

The clearest difference is ads: Tesseract at none against CARMA's shown. Tesseract also leads on device support (3 vs 1). CARMA's advantage is iOS requirement (17.4 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tesseract sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and CARMA sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Tesseract ships an update fortnightly, CARMA every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tesseract | CARMA |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (110 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tesseract-reflection-journal/id6599853294/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **110** | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 20 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Goateraction](https://appshunter.io/developer/1647805479) | [Tsung-Ting Chen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1502062301) |

## What reviewers say

### Tesseract

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tesseract-reflection-journal/id6599853294)

This app offers a unique emotional journaling experience inspired by interstellar travel. It allows users to record memories in an immersive 3D interface, transforming diary entries into cosmic coordinates. Features include voice dictation, AI prompts, and secure iCloud syncing.

**Highlights:** Immersive 3D Tesseract interface, Voice dictation journaling, AI-powered journaling prompts, Aesthetic writing with animations, Secure iCloud sync, Privacy-first design

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Annual | $4.99 | per year |
| Lifetime | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Stunning, gorgeous UI/UX design
- ✨ Smooth, silky animations and interactions
- 📱 Lightweight app (only 6MB)
- 💭 Intuitive and simple to use
- 🎯 Focused, single-purpose functionality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Aggressive monetization strategy
- 🔒 Data loss issues after updates
- 🐛 Edit button crashes the app
- 📸 Photos disappear when editing entries
- 🔄 Sync issues between devices

**Reported bugs**

- Data deletion after app updates
- Journal entries disappearing after switching apps
- Edit button causing app crashes
- Photos disappearing when adding new ones
- Photos disappearing after editing entries

**Requested features**

- Customizable theme colors and backgrounds
- Additional font options (especially for Chinese)
- PDF export functionality
- iCloud sync support
- Auto-save functionality


### CARMA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carma/id6749874584)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 月費3鎂 試用一週 | $2.99 | per month |
| 年費20鎂試用一週 | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tesseract free?

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

### Is CARMA free?

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

### Do Tesseract or CARMA have ads?

CARMA shows ads; Tesseract does not.

### Which is updated more often, Tesseract or CARMA?

Tesseract ships an update fortnightly, and CARMA every 4 weeks. Most recently, Tesseract was updated on October 25, 2026 and CARMA on October 3, 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.*