# As Needed. vs StarDose

The clearest difference is update cadence: StarDose at every 3 weeks against As Needed.'s every 2 months. As Needed.'s advantage is ratings volume (4 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. As Needed. sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and StarDose sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for As Needed. against 5.0 for StarDose. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively.

As Needed. ships an update every 2 months, StarDose every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | As Needed. | StarDose |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/as-needed/id6714469235/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stardose/id6762053224/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 30 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Daniel Hart](https://appshunter.io/developer/1459279032) | [Matthew Dominey](https://appshunter.io/developer/572554136) |

## What reviewers say

### As Needed.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/as-needed/id6714469235)

This app helps you track as-needed medications, offering quick logging, safe dose spacing, and privacy-focused insights. It supports various unit types and provides visual usage patterns, all while keeping your health data securely on your device.

**Highlights:** Quick dose logging in seconds, Support for 29 unit types, Searchable medication database, Visual usage pattern charts, Privacy-conscious notifications, Siri Shortcuts integration, Local data storage only

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Supporter | $1.99 | per month |
| Advocate | $4.99 | per month |
| Champion | $9.99 | per month |
| Tip: Thanks! | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tip: Cheers! | $2.99 | one-time |
| Tip: Ovation! | $4.99 | one-time |


### StarDose

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stardose/id6762053224)

This app helps you track if you've taken your daily medications, eliminating the guesswork. Log doses with a simple tap and view your status instantly on your Lock Screen or Apple Watch. Your data remains private on your device.

**Highlights:** Log doses with a tap, Lock Screen and Apple Watch widgets, Daily reminders with snooze, 30-day history, Undo any log, Private, on-device data storage

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| StarDose Premium | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is As Needed. free?

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

### Is StarDose free?

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

### Which has better reviews, As Needed. or StarDose?

As Needed. and StarDose are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do As Needed. or StarDose have ads?

Neither As Needed. nor StarDose shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, As Needed. or StarDose?

As Needed. ships an update every 2 months, and StarDose every 3 weeks. Most recently, As Needed. was updated on October 13, 2026 and StarDose on October 8, 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.*