# Ctrl+J vs Alive.

The clearest difference is update cadence: Ctrl+J at weekly against Alive.'s every 3 weeks. Alive.'s advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ctrl+J sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Alive. sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Ctrl+J ships an update weekly, Alive. every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ctrl+J | Alive. |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alive-instant-life-log/id6758227941/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 2 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [芷华 陈](https://appshunter.io/developer/1825310132) | [Baofeng County Jixu Education Information Consulting Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1298441489) |

## What reviewers say

### Ctrl+J

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ctrl-plus-j/id6751533155)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 按月订阅 | $0.99 | per month |
| 按年订阅 | $2.99 | per year |
| 终身会员 | $4.99 | one-time |


### Alive.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alive-instant-life-log/id6758227941)

A minimalist life-logging app that makes recording your experiences joyful. Capture moments instantly with an activity-first approach, a tangible aesthetic, and complete offline privacy. Customize your entries to perfectly match your lifestyle.

**Highlights:** Activity-first journaling, Tangible aesthetic with Polaroid-style visuals, 100% offline and private data storage, Fast and minimalist interface, Fully customizable activities, moods, and places

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Alive. Pro | $7.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ctrl+J free?

Ctrl+J is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Alive. free?

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

### Do Ctrl+J or Alive. have ads?

Neither Ctrl+J nor Alive. shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ctrl+J or Alive.?

Ctrl+J ships an update weekly, and Alive. every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ctrl+J was updated on October 9, 2026 and Alive. on October 22, 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.*