# Borealis vs Luminous

The clearest difference is ads: Luminous at none against Borealis's shown. Luminous also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Borealis sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Luminous sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Borealis ships an update every 5 days, Luminous every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Borealis | Luminous |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[3.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/luminous-uv-index-tracking/id6746096003/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| Positive reviews | — | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Size | 42 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Viktor Gidleaf](https://appshunter.io/developer/447833940) | [Trevor Grady](https://appshunter.io/developer/1441211990) |

## What reviewers say

### Borealis

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/borealis-aurora-tracker/id6740575480)

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Borealis Pro 1 | $0.49 | one-time |
| Borealis Pro 2 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Borealis Pro 3 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Borealis Pro 4 | $11.99 | one-time |


### Luminous

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/luminous-uv-index-tracking/id6746096003)

This app tracks real-time UV levels and your daily sun exposure to help you protect your skin and stay healthy. It offers smart notifications and integrates with Apple Health for comprehensive wellness tracking.

**Highlights:** Real-time UV measurement, Automatic exposure tracking, Smart UV notifications, Apple Health integration, Winter sun exposure tracking

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Plus Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Luminous Plus Annual | $12.99 | per year |
| Annual | $12.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Borealis free?

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

### Is Luminous free?

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

### Do Borealis or Luminous have ads?

Borealis shows ads; Luminous does not.

### Which is updated more often, Borealis or Luminous?

Borealis ships an update every 5 days, and Luminous every 10 days. Most recently, Borealis was updated on October 16, 2026 and Luminous on October 24, 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.*