Comparison

System Design Refresher vs SwipePrep

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

System Design Refresher

Features
Read full description

System Design Refresher is a free study companion for software engineers preparing for system design interviews. WHAT'S INSIDE • 30+ system design articles covering distributed systems, databases, caching, and more • Engineering blogs from top tech companies (Google, Meta, Stripe, Airbnb, and more) aggregated in one place • AI-powered flashcards with spaced repetition • Ask AI to summarize or explain any article in plain language • Favorites, reading progress tracking, and custom RSS feeds FEATURES • Works offline — articles download for reading without internet • Dark mode, font customization, and text size controls • Face ID / Touch ID lock for privacy • Sign in with Google or Apple, or use as a guest with no account required

About

SwipePrep

This app transforms technical interview questions into a flashcard-style swiping game. Master coding concepts by swiping right on questions you know and left on those you need to revisit. Track your progress visually and build a daily study habit.

Highlights
  • Flashcard-style question swiping
  • Mastered and Revisit stacks
  • Visual progress tracking
  • Algorithmic Rank dashboard
  • Activity heatmap and streaks
  • Curated high-yield interview patterns
Features
Read full description

Nervous about your upcoming technical interviews? Stop stressing and start swiping. SwipePrep takes industry-standard coding interview questions and turns them into a fast-paced, flashcard-based swiping game. How it works: Read through a classic interview question (like Two Sum or Reverse Linked List). Review the core intuition, optimal time/space complexity, and solution code. If you know it perfectly, swipe right to mark it "Mastered." If you struggle, swipe left to send it to your "Revisit" stack so the app can test you on it again later! Why you'll love it: Study Anywhere: Review complex Graph Theory and Dynamic Programming patterns while on the go. Visual Progress: Watch your "Algorithmic Rank" climb. Our dashboard includes a dynamic radar chart showing your mastery across Arrays, Strings, Trees, and more. Activity Heatmap: Keep your daily streak alive and fill out your 30-day activity grid. Curated Content: We focus exclusively on the high-yield patterns that actually get asked at top tech companies. Stop grinding endlessly and start studying efficiently. Download SwipePrep and secure your dream engineering role today!

Screenshots

System Design Refresher4 screens
SwipePrep4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SwipePrep at fortnightly against System Design Refresher's monthly. SwipePrep also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

System Design Refresher ships an update monthly, SwipePrep fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
System Design Refresher versus SwipePrep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSystem Design RefresherSwipePrep
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.215.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSaurabh SharmaDiplesh Mankape

In-app purchases

None

System Design Refresher

No in-app purchases

None

SwipePrep

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is System Design Refresher free?
System Design Refresher is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SwipePrep free?
SwipePrep is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do System Design Refresher or SwipePrep have ads?
Neither System Design Refresher nor SwipePrep shows ads.
Which is updated more often, System Design Refresher or SwipePrep?
System Design Refresher ships an update monthly, and SwipePrep fortnightly. Most recently, System Design Refresher was updated on September 30, 2026 and SwipePrep on September 25, 2026.

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