# Based vs Calico

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Calico at none against Based's 2. Calico also leads on ads (none vs shown) and device support (3 vs 1). Based's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Based sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Calico asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Based against 5.0 for Calico. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Based ships an update fortnightly, Calico every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Based | Calico |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/based-nutrient-tracker/id6760279674/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calico-ai-nutrition-tracker/id6760635478/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free** |
| Size | 48 MB | 44 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Studio Eight LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1835014047) | [Salt and Light Strategies LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1841227329) |

## What reviewers say

### Based

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/based-nutrient-tracker/id6760279674)

Scan meals to get a detailed breakdown of over 20 nutrients, not just calories. An AI coach offers personalized meal recommendations to help you fill dietary gaps with whole foods and achieve a daily nutrition score.

**Highlights:** Meal scanning for nutrient breakdown, AI nutrition coach, Personalized meal recommendations, Daily nutrition score and grading, Food quality classification, Cloud sync across devices

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BASED Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| BASED Annual | $29.99 | per year |


### Calico

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/calico-ai-nutrition-tracker/id6760635478)

Instantly analyze meals from a photo to understand calories, macros, vitamins, and minerals. This AI-powered tool provides clear nutritional insights without strict counting, helping you make smarter food choices and build healthy habits.

**Highlights:** AI-powered food scanning, Instant calorie and macro breakdown, Vitamins and minerals analysis, No manual logging required, Supportive and non-restrictive approach, Helps build healthy habits

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Based free?

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

### Is Calico free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Based or Calico?

Based and Calico are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do Based or Calico have ads?

Based shows ads; Calico does not.

### Which is updated more often, Based or Calico?

Based ships an update fortnightly, and Calico every 2 months. Most recently, Based was updated on October 7, 2026 and Calico on October 15, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*