# Persimmon vs Q

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Persimmon at none against Q's 3. Persimmon also leads on iOS requirement (18.1 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Q sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Persimmon asks for nothing beyond the download.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Persimmon | Q |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/persimmon-research-simplified/id6747952930/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2** | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 23 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.1** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Momenta Lab LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1615879512) | [EUNMIN PARK](https://appshunter.io/developer/1549813078) |

## What reviewers say

### Persimmon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/persimmon-research-simplified/id6747952930)

This app simplifies complex scientific research papers from arXiv and SocArXiv using AI. It offers customizable summaries tailored to your expertise level and allows you to search, save, and get daily updates on new publications. You can also use it as a basic preprint browser without AI.

**Highlights:** AI-powered paper summaries, Customizable AI models and expertise levels, Search arXiv and SocArXiv, Save papers for offline access, Daily updates and notifications, Privacy-focused, no data collection

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Q

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/q-alpha/id6760243993)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Q-Alpha Pro (Monthly) | $9.99 | per month |
| Q-Alpha Pro (Yearly) | $59.99 | per year |
| Q-Alpha Learner Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Persimmon free?

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

### Is Q free?

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

### Do Persimmon or Q have ads?

Neither Persimmon nor Q shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Persimmon or Q?

Persimmon ships an update every 3 weeks, and Q every 3 weeks. Most recently, Persimmon was updated on November 5, 2026 and Q 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.*
