# Hemera for Home Assistant vs Retro Journal

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hemera for Home Assistant at none against Retro Journal's 1. Hemera for Home Assistant also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Retro Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Hemera for Home Assistant asks for nothing beyond the download.

Hemera for Home Assistant ships an update weekly, Retro Journal every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hemera for Home Assistant | Retro Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Size | 5 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 18.2 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adam Borbas](https://appshunter.io/developer/1891451831) | [Renato Balcazar](https://appshunter.io/developer/1839106582) |

## What reviewers say

### Hemera for Home Assistant

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hemera-for-home-assistant/id6761782149)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Retro Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retro-journal/id6761872055)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Retro Journal Full Unlock | $5.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hemera for Home Assistant free?

Hemera for Home Assistant is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Retro Journal free?

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

### Do Hemera for Home Assistant or Retro Journal have ads?

Neither Hemera for Home Assistant nor Retro Journal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hemera for Home Assistant or Retro Journal?

Hemera for Home Assistant ships an update weekly, and Retro Journal every 3 weeks. Most recently, Hemera for Home Assistant was updated on November 5, 2026 and Retro Journal on October 28, 2026.

---

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