# BirthdayMate vs Shadow Work

The clearest difference is ads: Shadow Work at none against BirthdayMate's shown. Shadow Work also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 8 days) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. BirthdayMate sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Shadow Work sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

BirthdayMate ships an update every 8 days, Shadow Work every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BirthdayMate | Shadow Work |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birthdaymate/id6756861894/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **6** | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 13 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [David Phillips](https://appshunter.io/developer/1863300998) | [Devanuj Nath](https://appshunter.io/developer/6780533110) |

## What reviewers say

### BirthdayMate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/birthdaymate/id6756861894)

Never miss a birthday or anniversary again. This app provides smart reminders, organizes all your special dates in one place, and helps you plan thoughtful celebrations with gift ideas and notes. It prioritizes your privacy with local data storage and optional iCloud syncing.

**Highlights:** Smart reminders for events, Centralized date organization, Gift idea tracking with link previews, Local data storage with optional iCloud sync, Calendar view for planning, Insightful statistics on dates, Memorial entries for loved ones

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BirthdayMate Premium | $6.99 | one-time |


### Shadow Work

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadow-work-umbra/id6780533108)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Yearly | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BirthdayMate free?

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

### Is Shadow Work free?

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

### Do BirthdayMate or Shadow Work have ads?

BirthdayMate shows ads; Shadow Work does not.

### Which is updated more often, BirthdayMate or Shadow Work?

BirthdayMate ships an update every 8 days, and Shadow Work every 3 days. Most recently, BirthdayMate was updated on October 31, 2026 and Shadow Work on October 24, 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.*