# Hal Universal vs Detective

The clearest difference is price: Hal Universal at Free against Detective's $2.99. Detective's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Hal Universal is free to download; Detective costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Hal Universal ships an update every 6 weeks, Detective every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hal Universal | Detective |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 3 days** |
| Size | 30 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mark Friedlander](https://appshunter.io/developer/1812095304) | [LEE NAYOUNG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1893982014) |

## 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


### Detective

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/detective-recorder/id6771743543)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hal Universal free?

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

### Is Detective free?

Detective costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Hal Universal or Detective have ads?

Neither Hal Universal nor Detective shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hal Universal or Detective?

Hal Universal ships an update every 6 weeks, and Detective every 3 days. Most recently, Hal Universal was updated on October 1, 2026 and Detective 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.*