# Pelican+ vs ARE 5.0 Study Buddy

The clearest difference is price: Pelican+ at Free against ARE 5.0 Study Buddy's $3.99. Pelican+ also leads on ratings volume (32 vs 1). ARE 5.0 Study Buddy's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On rating, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Pelican+ is free to download; ARE 5.0 Study Buddy costs $3.99 up front. Pelican+ sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. ARE 5.0 Study Buddy asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Pelican+ against 5.0 for ARE 5.0 Study Buddy. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pelican+ has 32 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Pelican+ ships an update every 2 months, ARE 5.0 Study Buddy every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pelican+ | ARE 5.0 Study Buddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | [4.9 (32 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pelican-plus/id6753085864/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/are-50-study-buddy/id6792139560/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **32** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 84.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Paid** |
| Size | 33 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Pious Pelican Media, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1842404761) | [Nathan Burazer](https://appshunter.io/developer/6788218630) |

## What reviewers say

### Pelican+

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pelican-plus/id6753085864)

A faith-safe digital sanctuary for Traditional Catholic families, offering a personalized content library with e-books, audiobooks, and podcasts. It supports Catholic creators and provides trusted media for prayer, learning, and devotion, free from secular ads.

**Highlights:** Personalized content library, Cross-device progress syncing, E-book highlighting and note-taking, Premium podcasts, video blogs, ebooks, audiobooks, articles, Content for prayer, learning, and devotion, Films, documentaries, and children's programming (coming soon)

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Basic Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Basic Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $199.99 | per year |


### ARE 5.0 Study Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/are-50-study-buddy/id6792139560)

Master architectural licensing exams with a visual study tool designed to combat fatigue. It uses interactive games and precise diagrams to teach complex building codes and clearances.

**Highlights:** Visual flashcards with precise diagrams, Interactive 'Plans Examiner' game mode, Spaced repetition learning, Performance tracking and insights, Achievement badges for motivation, Focus on common exam topics

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pelican+ free?

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

### Is ARE 5.0 Study Buddy free?

ARE 5.0 Study Buddy costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Pelican+ or ARE 5.0 Study Buddy?

ARE 5.0 Study Buddy is rated higher. Pelican+ averages 4.9 out of 5 from 32 ratings, while ARE 5.0 Study Buddy averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Pelican+ or ARE 5.0 Study Buddy have ads?

Neither Pelican+ nor ARE 5.0 Study Buddy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pelican+ or ARE 5.0 Study Buddy?

Pelican+ ships an update every 2 months, and ARE 5.0 Study Buddy every 3 weeks. Most recently, Pelican+ was updated on October 24, 2026 and ARE 5.0 Study Buddy on October 12, 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.*