# Casterly vs Beacon

The clearest difference is update cadence: Beacon at every 4 days against Casterly's weekly. Casterly's advantage is iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Casterly sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year and Beacon sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Casterly ships an update weekly, Beacon every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Casterly | Beacon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 4 days** |
| Size | 15 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.6** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Sodium Studio, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1887896668) | [Wells Code Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1886478343) |

## What reviewers say

### Casterly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/casterly/id6761127451)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Casterly Pro | $9.99 | per year |


### Beacon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beacon-calm-rss-reader/id6804769501)

**Features:** Family Sharing, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Beacon — Monthly | $1.49 | per month |
| Beacon — Annual | $11.99 | per year |
| Beacon — Pay Once | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Casterly free?

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

### Is Beacon free?

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

### Do Casterly or Beacon have ads?

Neither Casterly nor Beacon shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Casterly or Beacon?

Casterly ships an update weekly, and Beacon every 4 days. Most recently, Casterly was updated on October 31, 2026 and Beacon on November 1, 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.*