# Alpha vs Cat Herding

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Alpha at none against Cat Herding's 4. Alpha also leads on ads (none vs shown). Cat Herding's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 months). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cat Herding sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Alpha asks for nothing beyond the download.

Alpha ships an update every 3 months, Cat Herding every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Alpha | Cat Herding |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Size | 70 MB | 70 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Marc Gelwert](https://appshunter.io/developer/1869875488) | [Derek Cheng](https://appshunter.io/developer/1889391111) |

## What reviewers say

### Alpha

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/alpha-track/id6757949847)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Cat Herding

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cat-herding/id6761401291)

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Basic | $1.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Basic Yearly | $20.00 | per year |
| Premium Yearly | $50.00 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Alpha free?

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

### Is Cat Herding free?

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

### Do Alpha or Cat Herding have ads?

Cat Herding shows ads; Alpha does not.

### Which is updated more often, Alpha or Cat Herding?

Alpha ships an update every 3 months, and Cat Herding every 10 days. Most recently, Alpha was updated on October 12, 2026 and Cat Herding on October 19, 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.*