# Bulb vs Once Upon A

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Once Upon A at 15.1 against Bulb's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bulb sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Once Upon A sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bulb ships an update every 5 days, Once Upon A every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bulb | Once Upon A |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/once-upon-a/id6744946378/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 40 MB | 71 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Danis Gaiazov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1798511426) | [SassyTags](https://appshunter.io/developer/1338963295) |

## What reviewers say

### Bulb

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bulb-read-to-learn-languages/id6742458314)

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Premium Annual | $49.99 | per year |


### Once Upon A

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/once-upon-a/id6744946378)

This educational app helps users learn Mandarin Chinese vocabulary using narration and images. It supports both PinYin and BoPoMoFo learning methods. The app is designed to reinforce word recognition and pronunciation.

**Highlights:** Mandarin vocabulary learning, PinYin support, BoPoMoFo support, Narration for pronunciation, Image-based learning, Reinforces vocabulary

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $19.99 | per month |
| Small | $4.99 | one-time |
| 3 Story Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Medium | $9.99 | one-time |
| 10 Story Credits | $10.00 | one-time |
| 5 Story Pack | $14.99 | one-time |
| 20 Story Credits | $16.00 | one-time |
| 7 Story Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Large | $19.99 | one-time |
| 25 Story Credits | $20.00 | one-time |
| X Large | $29.99 | one-time |
| 50 Story Credits | $35.00 | one-time |
| 75 Story Credits | $50.00 | one-time |
| 100 Story Credits | $60.00 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bulb free?

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

### Is Once Upon A free?

Once Upon A is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Bulb or Once Upon A have ads?

Neither Bulb nor Once Upon A shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bulb or Once Upon A?

Bulb ships an update every 5 days, and Once Upon A every 3 days. Most recently, Bulb was updated on October 15, 2026 and Once Upon A on October 20, 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.*