# Ember vs Cortex

The clearest difference is update cadence: Cortex at weekly against Ember's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ember sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Cortex sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $11.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Ember ships an update every 2 months, Cortex weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ember | Cortex |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Size | 44 MB | 87 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Alchemaize](https://appshunter.io/developer/1873987120) | [Rudrakshi Patel](https://appshunter.io/developer/6775265360) |

## What reviewers say

### Ember

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ember-ai-reading-companion/id6759811684)

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ember Starter | $2.99 | per month |
| Ember Plus | $7.99 | per month |
| Ember Pro | $19.99 | per month |
| Ember Plus (Annual) | $59.99 | per year |
| Ember Premium | $99.99 | per month |
| Ember Premium+ | $129.00 | per month |


### Cortex

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cortex-solve-clinical-cases/id6784620799)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cortex Monthly Subscription | $11.99 | per month |
| Cortex Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ember free?

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

### Is Cortex free?

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

### Do Ember or Cortex have ads?

Neither Ember nor Cortex shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ember or Cortex?

Ember ships an update every 2 months, and Cortex weekly. Most recently, Ember was updated on October 24, 2026 and Cortex 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.*