# Play! Pokémon Access vs Dex

The clearest difference is rating: Dex at 5.0 against Play! Pokémon Access's 2.0. Dex also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). Play! Pokémon Access's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (91 vs 1). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Dex sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Play! Pokémon Access asks for nothing beyond the download.

Dex holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Play! Pokémon Access has 91 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Play! Pokémon Access ships an update every 2 months, Dex weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Play! Pokémon Access | Dex |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.0 (91 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/play-pokemon-access/id6738208583/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dex-living-dex-tracker/id6801204573/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **91** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 14.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 53 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [THE POKEMON COMPANY INTERNATIONAL, INC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/594261408) | [Seven Whys Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1610166032) |

## What reviewers say

### Play! Pokémon Access

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/play-pokemon-access/id6738208583)

Discover local events and tournaments for Pokémon video games, the Trading Card Game, and Pokémon GO. Connect with the community, find new battles, and forge friendships. This app is your gateway to the Play! Pokémon program.

**Highlights:** Discover local Play! Pokémon events, Search for video game tournaments, Find Trading Card Game tournaments, Locate Pokémon GO tournaments, Connect with the Pokémon community, Find prizes and make friends

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Conceptually a big step forward
- 🔒 Useful tools in one place

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Lack of basic functionality like sorting by date
- 🔍 Difficult to find events, limited search radius
- 🔒 Forced to use app, no browser-based event locator
- 🤯 Inconvenient user experience

**Reported bugs**

- Event information not displayed properly
- Functionality downgraded compared to previous website

**Requested features**

- Sort events by date
- Increase search radius beyond 50 miles
- Add events to phone calendar
- Support multiple accounts


### Dex

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dex-living-dex-tracker/id6801204573)

**Features:** iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Dex Forever | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Play! Pokémon Access free?

Play! Pokémon Access is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Dex free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Play! Pokémon Access or Dex?

Dex is rated higher. Play! Pokémon Access averages 2.0 out of 5 from 91 ratings, while Dex averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Play! Pokémon Access or Dex have ads?

Neither Play! Pokémon Access nor Dex shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Play! Pokémon Access or Dex?

Play! Pokémon Access ships an update every 2 months, and Dex weekly. Most recently, Play! Pokémon Access was updated on November 8, 2026 and Dex on November 12, 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.*