# Photon vs Alien

The clearest difference is update cadence: Alien at fortnightly against Photon's every 6 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Photon ships an update every 6 months, Alien fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Photon | Alien |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Size | 38 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Amr Zakaria Abdallah Gaballah](https://appshunter.io/developer/1489981319) | [Moamen Rabee](https://appshunter.io/developer/1705689675) |

## What reviewers say

### Photon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photon/id6742182544)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Alien

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alien/id6752848150)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Photon free?

Photon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Alien free?

Alien is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Photon or Alien have ads?

Neither Photon nor Alien shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Photon or Alien?

Photon ships an update every 6 months, and Alien fortnightly. Most recently, Photon was updated on September 22, 2026 and Alien on October 6, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*