# Tesseract vs Nostalgia

Tesseract and Nostalgia are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Both are free to download. Tesseract sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Nostalgia sells 3 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 every 10 days, Nostalgia every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tesseract | Nostalgia |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (110 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tesseract-interstellar-diary/id6599853294/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **110** | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 15 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Goateraction](https://appshunter.io/developer/1647805479) | [Juan Williman](https://appshunter.io/developer/1588981392) |

## What reviewers say

### Tesseract

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

This app transforms your daily entries into a visually rich photo diary with dynamic themes and spatial presentation. Add photos, use journaling prompts, and secure your memories with biometric locks. Revisit your past with a calendar, search, and a Home Screen widget.

**Highlights:** Eleven visual themes with motion and depth, Spatial presentation for words and photos, Photo attachments, Horizontal, vertical, and grid layouts, Calendar and search functionality, Face ID or Touch ID lock for entries, On This Day Home Screen widget

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


### Nostalgia

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nostalgia-shared-memories/id6765693797)

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Access | $59.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tesseract free?

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

### Is Nostalgia free?

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

### Do Tesseract or Nostalgia have ads?

Neither Tesseract nor Nostalgia shows ads.

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

Tesseract ships an update every 10 days, and Nostalgia every 2 weeks. Most recently, Tesseract was updated on November 5, 2026 and Nostalgia on October 31, 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.*