Comparison

CardBal vs Afterword

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

Head to head
About

CardBal

Read full description

CardBal turns your iPhone into a pro reader for transit and stored-value cards. Hold a card to the top of your iPhone to see its balance, rides and card details, and the raw data behind them. READ โ€ข Balance and remaining trips โ€ข Ride history with stations, lines, distances and fares where the card stores them โ€ข Card details such as card family, number, issue date and technology โ€ข Raw data and a full hex export, with an optional Developer Mode for KS X 6924 cards SEE WHERE YOU'VE BEEN โ€ข Ride Map draws the routes your cards remember โ€ข Transit Atlas maps every city and province you have ridden in KEEP YOUR CARDS โ€ข A wallet of every card you have read, with names, icons and your own card photos โ€ข iCloud backup and file export โ€ข Card numbers can be shown in full, masked or hidden APPLE WALLET CARDS Read a supported Apple Wallet transit card on another iPhone or Apple Watch with Service Mode turned on. SUPPORTED CARDS Japan (FeliCa): Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, SUGOCA, nimoca, Kitaca, manaca, TOICA, Hayakaken, SAPICA, IruCa, OKICA and more Japan (e-money): nanaco, Rakuten Edy, WAON Greater China (T-Union): 300+ city cards, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, plus City Union cards Hong Kong: Octopus South Korea (KS X 6924): T-money, EZL, Cashbee Mongolia: U-Money France (Calypso): Lignes d'Azur Readable balances and history depend on the card, its issuer and the data stored on it. CardBal reads card information; it cannot top up cards. CardBal is an independent reader and is not affiliated with transit operators.

About

Afterword

Features
Read full description

Afterword is an app for the things you'll say later. Some things we can't say today โ€” but one day we'll wish they would be heard. Afterword lets you write a letter now and deliver it on a future day โ€” to your future self, to a friend moving abroad, to your parents, to your child on their 18th birthday. Use it for: - A letter to yourself ten years from now โ€” reminding you most of today's worries won't matter - An "if I'm not back on time" note before a trip or surgery - A letter to your newborn to be opened on their 18th birthday - Words for a close friend before you part - A breadcrumb (NOT raw passwords) to important accounts your loved ones might need Four delivery modes โ€” your choice: - Scheduled: pick a date; we'll send it on your behalf when due, or just remind you so you can send manually - On inactivity: only enters delivery if you haven't opened the app for a long time โ€” zero everyday noise - Recurring check-in: send a "still here" note on a regular interval - Manual only: stays encrypted on your device, never uploaded, never auto-sent Security & honesty: - All content encrypted on your device with AES-256-GCM - 6-digit passcode plus Face ID / Touch ID - For Scheduled / Inactivity / Recurring modes, content uploads to our servers so we can deliver on your behalf. Server storage is encrypted at rest but this is not end-to-end encryption โ€” our engineers technically could decrypt. We commit to: never browse, never train models, never share with third parties - No advertising SDK, no tracking SDK, no third-party analytics - If you want zero upload, use "Manual only" mode Good for: - People with family and close friends and words they can't say face to face - Frequent travelers, those going into surgery, long-distance commuters - Anyone who wants to prepare, quietly, for "just in case" Note: Afterword is not a legal will and does not replace formal legal documents. For significant assets or legal matters, please consult a lawyer or notary.

Screenshots

CardBal4 screens
Afterword4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Afterword at every 4 days against CardBal's every 2 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CardBal ships an update every 2 weeks, Afterword every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
CardBal versus Afterword: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCardBalAfterword
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 4 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.0 โ€” better17.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size51 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKitta Co.Beijing Black & White Network Technology Co., Ltd.

In-app purchases

None

CardBal

No in-app purchases

None

Afterword

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CardBal free?
CardBal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Afterword free?
Afterword is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do CardBal or Afterword have ads?
Neither CardBal nor Afterword shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CardBal or Afterword?
CardBal ships an update every 2 weeks, and Afterword every 4 days. Most recently, CardBal was updated on October 25, 2026 and Afterword on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons