# macalo vs PiyoHug

The clearest difference is ads: macalo at none against PiyoHug's shown. macalo also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 75%). PiyoHug's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. macalo sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and PiyoHug sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

macalo ships an update fortnightly, PiyoHug every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | macalo | PiyoHug |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 50 MB | 50 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Raizo Kawaguchi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1804052163) | [jin mizoi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1548623319) |

## What reviewers say

### macalo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/macalo/id6760333082)

Log your meals with AI-powered calorie and macro estimation. Earn energy from your logged calories to craft and collect virtual sweets. Visualize your daily nutrition and track progress with widgets.

**Highlights:** AI-powered calorie and macro estimation from meal photos, Calorie energy for virtual sweet crafting, Sweets collection with limited editions, Daily nutrition visualization on calendar, Home screen widget for progress tracking, Barcode scanning for food logging

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| macalo Premium (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| macalo Premium (Yearly) | $54.99 | per year |
| 1 Sugar Gem | $0.99 | one-time |
| 5 Sugar Gems | $2.99 | one-time |
| 10 Sugar Gems | $5.99 | one-time |


### PiyoHug

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piyohug/id6761688804)

This app helps you reduce screen time by gamifying digital detox. As you spend less time on your phone, a virtual chick grows and evolves through multiple stages and breeds. It also features a stamp rally to track your travel across Japan and a collection album for your grown chickens.

**Highlights:** Virtual chick growth based on screen time reduction, Unlock 24 chicken breeds and 6 growth stages, 47 Prefectures Stamp Rally for travel tracking, Chicken Album to record raised chickens, Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, AI background generation (Premium)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 月額プラン | $5.99 | per month |
| 3ヶ月プラン | $11.99 | per 3 months |
| レアたまご | $1.99 | one-time |
| 金のたまご | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is macalo free?

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

### Is PiyoHug free?

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

### Do macalo or PiyoHug have ads?

PiyoHug shows ads; macalo does not.

### Which is updated more often, macalo or PiyoHug?

macalo ships an update fortnightly, and PiyoHug every 2 days. Most recently, macalo was updated on September 24, 2026 and PiyoHug on September 23, 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.*