# Highlight vs Instead

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Highlight at 100% against Instead's 50%. Highlight also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). Instead's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Highlight sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Instead sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Highlight holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Highlight's written reviews are positive against 50% of Instead's.

Highlight ships an update every 5 days, Instead every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Highlight | Instead |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/highlight-personal-timeline/id6745721962/reviews)** | [4.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/instead-things-to-do/id6774246848/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **12** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 11 days |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 31 MB | 65 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ScrappedApps LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1813492973) | [Sarthak Jain](https://appshunter.io/developer/1868060371) |

## What reviewers say

### Highlight

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/highlight-personal-timeline/id6745721962)

This app helps you revisit everyday moments by organizing photos, notes, events, and health data on a personal timeline. It offers weekly and monthly recaps, natural language search for memories, and flexible daily tracking. Your data is kept private and stored in your iCloud account.

**Highlights:** Personal timeline organization, Photo, note, and event integration, Weekly and monthly recaps, Natural language memory search, Flexible daily tracking (mood, habits), Music integration for memory recall, Private iCloud data storage

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Highlight Pro | $1.99 | per month |
| Highlight Pro | $7.99 | per 6 months |


### Instead

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/instead-things-to-do/id6774246848)

This app offers a curated menu of real-life activities to help you break the habit of excessive scrolling. It suggests small, engaging tasks based on your available time and mood, promoting mindfulness and intentional downtime.

**Highlights:** Personalized activity suggestions, Time-based activity filtering, Mood-based activity filtering, Customizable activity menu, Streak tracking, Weekly statistics

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Instead Premium Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Instead Premium Yearly | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Highlight free?

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

### Is Instead free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Highlight or Instead?

Highlight is rated higher. Highlight averages 5.0 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Instead averages 4.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Highlight or Instead have ads?

Highlight shows ads; Instead does not.

### Which is updated more often, Highlight or Instead?

Highlight ships an update every 5 days, and Instead every 11 days. Most recently, Highlight was updated on November 5, 2026 and Instead on October 31, 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.*