# What Is This Thing? vs Identify This

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: What Is This Thing? at none against Identify This's 2. What Is This Thing? also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). Identify This's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 weeks). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Identify This sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. What Is This Thing? asks for nothing beyond the download.

What Is This Thing? ships an update every 6 weeks, Identify This every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | What Is This Thing? | Identify This |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/identify-this-ai-identifier/id6780654403/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **3** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Size | 32 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Matt Lyons-Wood](https://appshunter.io/developer/1822657760) | [Vandro Aurelio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1844117316) |

## What reviewers say

### What Is This Thing?

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/what-is-this-thing/id6747729663)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Identify This

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/identify-this-ai-identifier/id6780654403)

Point your camera or use an existing photo to instantly identify objects, plants, animals, and landmarks. Get detailed facts, nutrition info, care tips, safety warnings, and collectible values. Save your discoveries and explore the world around you.

**Highlights:** Identify objects from photos, AI-powered recognition, Detailed descriptions and insights, Nutrition and recipe suggestions, Plant diagnosis and care recommendations, Collectible values and rarity estimates, Save identification history

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is What Is This Thing? free?

What Is This Thing? is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Identify This free?

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

### Do What Is This Thing? or Identify This have ads?

What Is This Thing? shows ads; Identify This does not.

### Which is updated more often, What Is This Thing? or Identify This?

What Is This Thing? ships an update every 6 weeks, and Identify This every 2 days. Most recently, What Is This Thing? was updated on October 30, 2026 and Identify This on November 5, 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.*