Comparison

Candle vs Long Goodbye

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Candle

This app helps couples deepen their connection through quick daily rituals. Engage with meaningful questions, share private photos, play games, and discover local date ideas to foster presence and curiosity in your relationship.

Highlights
  • Daily conversation starters
  • Private photo sharing
  • Syncing thumb kisses
  • Local date ideas
  • Relationship games and challenges
  • Daily check-in streaks
Features
Read full description

Candle – The Ultimate Couples Game for Staying Close Most relationships don’t end in one moment, they drift apart over time. Missed check-ins, surface-level conversations, busy lives, and routines replace real connection. Candle helps couples stay emotionally close through 1-minute daily rituals that bring back presence, play, and curiosity. Effortless Connection, Lasting Impact Whether you're long distance, busy, or just want to reconnect more deeply, Candle fits into your life. One minute a day is all it takes to strengthen your relationship. Conversation Starters That Matter - Swipe through meaningful, expert-designed questions - Unlock your partner’s answers to reflect, laugh, and grow together Daily Photo Prompts - Share real-time snapshots like BeReal, just for the two of you - Capture authentic moments and build a private photo journal - Create a visual history of your relationship over time- From lighthearted to deep, always have something to talk about Thumb Kisses - Tap your thumbs in sync to feel a gentle vibration - A playful way to say “I’m here,” even from miles away - Perfect for long-distance couples Curated Local Date Ideas (Beta) - 60+ unique ideas tailored to your location that refresh every week - Swipe to match on something new to try - Updated weekly with real-world, spontaneous experiences Games and Challenges - Play “Who’s More Likely,” fast-paced Q&As, and more - Discover new sides of each other in a low-pressure, fun format - Designed to spark joy and emotional connection Keep Your Streak, Keep Your Spark - Track daily check-ins and build a shared rhythm - Celebrate milestones and keep your momentum alive - Form long-term habits through small, consistent moments Perfect for Every Couple - Long-distance or living together - Just started dating or years in - Busy schedules or just needing more intentional time Private, Secure, and Ad-Free - No ads, no noise. Just time for each other - Encrypted and built privacy-first - Your memories stay between the two of you Why Couples Love Candle - Just one minute a day for real emotional impact - Based on relationship science and expert insights - Flexible for all stages of love and connection Download Candle today and bring back the spark, one question, one photo, one moment at a time. Visit: https://www.trycandle.app Privacy Policy: https://www.trycandle.app/privacy Terms: https://www.trycandle.app/terms Follow us: Instagram: @trycandle.app TikTok: @trycandle.app Reddit: r/candleapp Made with love in San Francisco. Shoutout to Fluent Emoji for the base icons!

About

Long Goodbye

This app keeps your partner close on your home screen with their local time, a "thinking of you" tap, and a countdown to your reunion. It offers a warm presence without the pressure of constant communication, perfect for long-distance couples.

Highlights
  • Couple widget for home screen
  • Partner's local time display
  • "Thinking of you" tap feature
  • Reunion countdown timer
  • Photo moments postcards
  • Designed for long-distance relationships
Features
Read full description

Draw on your partner's lock screen, from the other side of the world. The Long Goodbye keeps your person on the screens you both see most. Your handwriting lands on their home-screen widget, and on their lock screen once they add a one-time Shortcut. Their clock sits on your lock screen, and a countdown ticks down to the day you're finally together again. It's not another chat app to keep up with. It's warm presence, in the spaces between hellos. WHAT'S INSIDE • Draw on their lock screen — a heart or a "good morning" in your own handwriting (Together+) • Your lock screen, their drawing — their handwriting over your photo and the days you've been together, ready to set as your wallpaper • Lock Screen widgets — their clock and time of day, their last tap and the countdown • Home Screen widget — your partner one glance away: their local time, their last tap, the days to go • "Thinking of you" taps — one tap lights up their widget, no words needed • Reunion countdown — count down to the next visit, down to the time the flight lands • Photo moments, notes and audio postcards — little postcards, with replies • Your people — keep a partner, a best friend and a parent close, each a private 1:1 connection (Together+) • Countdowns for visits, deployments and visa waits, with milestones and OPSEC mode • Good hours to call, and moment labels and shared albums COUNTDOWNS FOR EVERY KIND OF WAIT Count down to the next visit, a deployment homecoming or the end of a visa wait. Add the stops along the way (R&R, the interview), watch the bar pass halfway, and share a card with family. OPSEC mode keeps the date off your widget, your lock screen and anything you share. GOOD HOURS TO CALL See when you're both awake and both free, in your time with theirs beside it, for the whole week. One tap suggests a call with the time in both your clocks. MOMENTS, LABELLED AND IN ALBUMS Label photos, voice and notes ("first visit", "Lisbon") and gather them into albums you both keep. MADE FOR THE DISTANCE Built for couples apart for school, work, military deployment, a visa wait, or whole oceans and time zones. Students, immigrants, deployed partners — everyone counting down to the next hug. NOT A CHAT APP No pressure to reply, no endless notifications. Just a calm presence that says "still here, still yours." TOGETHER+ Free to start: pairing, their time, taps, widgets and one countdown. Together+ unlocks drawing on their lock screen, your photo and the together-for count, unlimited photo moments, audio postcards, premium themes, multiple & recurring countdowns and up to 10 connections — with a 7-day free trial on the annual plan. One purchase covers both of you. Plans and local pricing are shown in the app. The goodbyes are long. The countdown makes them shorter. Privacy Policy: https://adelyons.com/apps/long-goodbye/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://adelyons.com/apps/long-goodbye/terms.html

Screenshots

Candle4 screens
Long Goodbye4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Candle at 68% against Long Goodbye's 0%. Candle also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.7) and ratings volume (12K vs 3). Long Goodbye's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Candle sells 24 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days and Long Goodbye sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Candle holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Candle has 12K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Candle's written reviews are positive against 0% of Long Goodbye's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Candle ships an update fortnightly, Long Goodbye every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Candle versus Long Goodbye: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCandleLong Goodbye
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (12K ratings) — better3.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews67.5% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12K — better3
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#167 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size127 MB34 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperEncore AI Labs, Inc.Adelyons Software LLC

Customer experience

Candle

All ratings11,637 ratings
Positive94.0%
Neutral2.6%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews594 reviews
Positive67.5%
Neutral8.6%
Negative23.9%

Long Goodbye

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Candle

Requested features

1 request
  • Different decks or categories for prompts to mix things up

Long Goodbye

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

24 purchases

Candle

Subscriptions19
  • Pro Weekly$3.997 Days
  • Pro Weekly$4.997 Days
  • Premium Weekly$4.997 Days
Show 16 more
  • Pro Weekly$5.997 Days
  • Premium Weekly$5.997 Days
  • Premium Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly2 variants$12.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly3 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly$14.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly$29.991 Year
  • Candle Pro - Yearly$29.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly2 variants$39.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly3 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly$49.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly$59.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly3 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Premium Yearly$89.991 Year
One-time5
  • Bag of Sparks (80)$0.99
  • Word Hint$0.99
  • Streak Reignite$2.99
Show 2 more
  • Bag of Sparks (500)$4.99
  • Pro Lifetime$149.99
3 purchases

Long Goodbye

Subscriptions2
  • Together+ Monthly1 Month trial$7.991 Month
  • Together+ Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Together+ Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Candle free?
Candle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Long Goodbye free?
Long Goodbye is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Candle or Long Goodbye?
Candle is rated higher. Candle averages 4.8 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while Long Goodbye averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Candle or Long Goodbye have ads?
Neither Candle nor Long Goodbye shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Candle or Long Goodbye?
Candle ships an update fortnightly, and Long Goodbye every 4 days. Most recently, Candle was updated on October 30, 2026 and Long Goodbye on October 25, 2026.

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