# Shade vs Liquid Wave

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Liquid Wave at none against Shade's 3. Liquid Wave also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Shade sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Liquid Wave asks for nothing beyond the download.

Shade ships an update fortnightly, Liquid Wave every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shade | Liquid Wave |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shade-app-lock-and-blocker/id6747080452/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **4** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 88 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Appsalt](https://appshunter.io/developer/1828173779) | [Jeremy Stein](https://appshunter.io/developer/6809824526) |

## What reviewers say

### Shade

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shade-app-lock-and-blocker/id6747080452)

This app helps you manage your phone usage by setting daily limits for applications. Once limits are reached, access is automatically restricted, promoting focus and a healthier digital rhythm. It offers location-based and scheduled restrictions for personalized control.

**Highlights:** Set daily app limits, Automatic app restriction, Location-based restrictions (Smart Zones), Scheduled blocks and restores, iOS Shortcuts and Widgets integration, Face ID/Passcode protection

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Subscription Trial | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Subscription | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Subscription | $4.99 | per month |


### Liquid Wave

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/liquid-wave-tone-generator/id6809824524)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shade free?

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

### Is Liquid Wave free?

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

### Do Shade or Liquid Wave have ads?

Both Shade and Liquid Wave show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shade or Liquid Wave?

Shade ships an update fortnightly, and Liquid Wave every 2 days. Most recently, Shade was updated on November 6, 2026 and Liquid Wave 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.*