# Pearcal vs PlateDetect

The clearest difference is price: Pearcal at Free against PlateDetect's $3.99. Pearcal also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). On update cadence, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Pearcal is free to download; PlateDetect costs $3.99 up front. PlateDetect sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pearcal asks for nothing beyond the download.

Pearcal ships an update fortnightly, PlateDetect every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pearcal | PlateDetect |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/platedetect/id6782638884/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 5 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Braveyo LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1855102831) | [Ona Pacholo Asis](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896650203) |

## What reviewers say

### Pearcal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pearcal/id6755727765)

**Features:** Safari Extension, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### PlateDetect

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/platedetect/id6782638884)

This app reads license plates directly on your device using your camera or imported photos. It offers features for checking plate readability from a distance, managing scan history, and setting up custom alerts for specific plates.

**Highlights:** On-device license plate reading, Live camera scan, Photo import recognition, Readability checks, History management, Watchlist alerts, Plate format configuration

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PlateDetect Pro | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pearcal free?

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

### Is PlateDetect free?

PlateDetect costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Do Pearcal or PlateDetect have ads?

Neither Pearcal nor PlateDetect shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pearcal or PlateDetect?

Pearcal ships an update fortnightly, and PlateDetect every 3 weeks. Most recently, Pearcal was updated on October 10, 2026 and PlateDetect on October 25, 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.*