# Hal Universal vs Folio

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hal Universal at none against Folio's 3. Folio's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 weeks) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Folio sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Hal Universal asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hal Universal ships an update every 6 weeks, Folio every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hal Universal | Folio |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Size | 30 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mark Friedlander](https://appshunter.io/developer/1812095304) | [RECEP GUR](https://appshunter.io/developer/1861267659) |

## 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


### Folio

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/folio-tracking-notebooks/id6803817370)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Folio Pro Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Folio Pro Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Folio Pro Lifetime | $69.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hal Universal free?

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

### Is Folio free?

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

### Do Hal Universal or Folio have ads?

Neither Hal Universal nor Folio shows ads.

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

Hal Universal ships an update every 6 weeks, and Folio every 4 days. Most recently, Hal Universal was updated on October 1, 2026 and Folio on October 2, 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.*