# Hal Universal vs Cedar Assistant

The clearest difference is update cadence: Cedar Assistant at weekly against Hal Universal's every 6 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Hal Universal ships an update every 6 weeks, Cedar Assistant weekly. Both last shipped on October 1, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hal Universal | Cedar Assistant |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cedar-assistant/id6755727821/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 30 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mark Friedlander](https://appshunter.io/developer/1812095304) | [Matthew Woodruff](https://appshunter.io/developer/1813012445) |

## What reviewers say

### Hal Universal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hal-universal/id6754847753)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Cedar Assistant

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cedar-assistant/id6755727821)

This AI workspace allows users to select and utilize various language models for different tasks. It supports on-device processing, self-hosted open-source models, and cloud-based AI systems. Users can fine-tune settings, attach files, generate images, and view web citations.

**Highlights:** Choose from multiple AI models, On-device processing with Apple Intelligence, Connect to self-hosted Ollama servers, Integrate with cloud models (Claude, OpenAI, Gemini), Fine-tune conversation settings, Attach files and generate images, View web citations

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hal Universal free?

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

### Is Cedar Assistant free?

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

### Do Hal Universal or Cedar Assistant have ads?

Neither Hal Universal nor Cedar Assistant shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hal Universal or Cedar Assistant?

Hal Universal ships an update every 6 weeks, and Cedar Assistant weekly. Most recently, Hal Universal was updated on October 1, 2026 and Cedar Assistant on October 1, 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.*