Comparison

Closer vs Pulse

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

Head to head
About

Closer

This app helps couples deepen their connection through daily prompts and gentle reminders. It encourages meaningful conversations and strengthens understanding, making love feel intentional again.

Highlights
  • Daily connection prompts
  • Relationship growth tools
  • Gentle reminders
  • Private and intentional design
  • 4500+ conversation starters
Read full description

Your relationship, live on your Home Screen. Closer shows the real-time distance between you and your partner - on a widget, your Lock Screen, and in your Dynamic Island. Watch the miles shrink as they head your way. Then stay close all day: TOGETHER - LIVE DISTANCE Real-time distance widget for Home Screen and Lock Screen, plus a Live Activity that counts down the miles when your person is on the way. Made for long-distance couples and over thinkers alike. HEARTBEAT Press and hold at the same time - feel synced animations and haptics, wherever you both are. LEVEL UP & STREAKS Build your streaks and level up your relationship on the app. Gamified experience that keeps you coming back. 4,500+ DAILY QUESTIONS Themed question packs that start conversations you'd never think to have. A new one every day. ROLL THE DICE Shuffle to get ideas on different features to use on the app, you never know what you might discover. GAMES FOR TWO 10 games, solo and 2-player including Guess My Answer, the "does my partner actually listen to me" test. GROW YOUR WORLD Streaks, Care Score, and achievements level you up through 20 islands. Grow as you do. MICRO THERAPY 100 bite-sized, therapist-informed lessons. Five minutes, real skills. YOUR STORY, KEPT Shared photo memories, a together counter, Time Capsules that unlock in the future, and a couple profile that's just yours. CYCLE SUPPORT Cycle tracking with support tips, so you can show up for each other better. QUIZZES Various quizzes designed and built to enhance your journey. Free to download. Private by design, your relationship stays between the two of you. Visit: https://closerlabs.app Privacy: https://closerlabs.app/privacy · Terms: https://closerlabs.app/terms EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ TikTok: @trycloserapp Instagram: @join.closer Enjoy :)

About

Pulse

This app offers a private digital space for couples to connect and share intimate moments. Features include sending real-time heartbeats, sharing moods, answering daily questions, and playing games together. It aims to foster deeper connection without distractions.

Highlights
  • Real-time heartbeat sharing
  • Mood check-in
  • Daily couples questions
  • Shared photo gallery
  • Collaborative drawing
  • Multiplayer games
Features
Read full description

Pulse is a private couples app made for staying close, having fun, and learning more about each other. Share your location, see how far apart you are, send a Pulse when you're thinking about your partner, share moods, answer relationship questions, play couples games, and more, all in one private space built for two. Whether you're together or in a long-distance relationship, Pulse gives you simple ways to stay connected throughout the day. LOCATION SHARING Share your location with your partner and see each other on the map. See how far apart you are, ping your partner, and stay connected wherever you go. Pulse Premium adds background location updates, saved places, arrival and departure alerts, custom photo pins, and live location that stays current even when Pulse isn't open. SEND A PULSE Tap and hold to send a real-time vibration to your partner's phone. It's a simple way to say "I'm thinking about you" without sending a message. SHARE YOUR MOOD Let your partner know how you're feeling in seconds. Choose your mood and see how they're feeling too. DAILY QUESTIONS Answer a new couples question every day. Respond separately, then see each other's answers and discover something new about one another. WEEKLY CHECK-IN Take a few minutes each week to check in with each other. Share the highlight of your week, something you appreciated about your partner, what's been on your mind, how you've been feeling, and what you're looking forward to. COUPLES QUIZZES Find out how well you really know each other with quizzes covering love languages, date nights, communication, memories, preferences, your future together, and more. Answer questions about yourself and your partner, then compare your results. PLAY GAMES TOGETHER Play couples games together wherever you are, including: • Tic Tac Toe • Four in a Row • Torpedo • Memory Match • Dots & Boxes • Continue Drawing • And more EMBER Raise your shared virtual pet together. Ember grows brighter as you both stay connected and fades when your streak goes quiet. Keep your spark alive together. NOTES Leave your partner a little note to discover the next time they open Pulse. PRIVATE GALLERY Keep your favorite moments together in a shared photo gallery created from the photos you send each other. PAINT TOGETHER Draw together on the same canvas and create something as a team. MADE FOR TWO Pulse is designed to be simple, beautiful, and distraction-free. No social feed. No public profiles. No followers. Just you and your partner. Some features require Pulse Premium. EULA: https://sites.google.com/tad-labs.org/tad-labs/home

Screenshots

Closer4 screens
Pulse4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pulse at 5.0 against Closer's 4.3. Pulse also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 75%) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.5). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Closer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Pulse sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pulse holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 7 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Closer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Pulse's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Closer ships an update fortnightly, Pulse every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Closer versus Pulse: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCloserPulse
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (4 ratings)5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings47 — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.515.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size102 MB78 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperSameel MawaniTravis Dravenstott

Customer experience

Closer

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

Pulse

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Closer

Subscriptions2
  • Closer Pro Monthly7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Closer Pro Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
2 purchases

Pulse

Subscriptions2
  • Pulse Premium$2.991 Month
  • Pulse Premium$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Closer free?
Closer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pulse free?
Pulse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Closer or Pulse?
Pulse is rated higher. Closer averages 4.3 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Pulse averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.
Do Closer or Pulse have ads?
Neither Closer nor Pulse shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Closer or Pulse?
Closer ships an update fortnightly, and Pulse every 3 weeks. Most recently, Closer was updated on October 25, 2026 and Pulse on October 10, 2026.

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