# ShellX vs Care Cairn

The clearest difference is price: ShellX at Free against Care Cairn's $0.99. ShellX also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

ShellX is free to download; Care Cairn costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ShellX ships an update every 3 days, Care Cairn fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ShellX | Care Cairn |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Fortnightly |
| Size | 37 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Laurens van Leer B.V.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1796054354) | [Robert Corbin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1890247992) |

## What reviewers say

### ShellX

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shellx/id6758803722)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Care Cairn

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/care-cairn/id6770025117)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ShellX free?

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

### Is Care Cairn free?

Care Cairn costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do ShellX or Care Cairn have ads?

Neither ShellX nor Care Cairn shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ShellX or Care Cairn?

ShellX ships an update every 3 days, and Care Cairn fortnightly. Most recently, ShellX was updated on September 21, 2026 and Care Cairn on September 26, 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.*