# Bulb vs Ember

The clearest difference is update cadence: Bulb at every 5 days against Ember's fortnightly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bulb sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Ember sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $29.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bulb ships an update every 5 days, Ember fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bulb | Ember |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Fortnightly |
| Size | 40 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Danis Gaiazov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1798511426) | [Alexei Vinidiktov](https://appshunter.io/developer/632981400) |

## 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 |


### Ember

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ember-read-and-learn-languages/id6759223533)

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ember Reader Premium | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bulb free?

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

### Is Ember free?

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

### Do Bulb or Ember have ads?

Neither Bulb nor Ember shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bulb or Ember?

Bulb ships an update every 5 days, and Ember fortnightly. Most recently, Bulb was updated on October 15, 2026 and Ember on October 25, 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.*