Lighthouse vs Underneath
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lighthouse
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Stop doomscrolling one small challenge at a time. Lighthouse turns a dopamine detox into a daily game you can actually finish. Every day you get at least three short, screen-free challenges: an app-free hour, a no-social-media morning, a phone-free meal, a mindful walk, grayscale mode, a digital sunset, five minutes of breathing. Complete them and the fog around your lighthouse clears. Keep going and its beam grows brighter. HOW IT WORKS • Choose a daily commitment between 10 and 60 minutes. • Get today's challenges, picked from a set of 25. • Finish all of today's challenges to keep your streak alive. • Log your mood, energy and screen time in a few seconds. Lighthouse is a habit coach, not a gatekeeper. It never takes control of your phone or your other apps, and screen time is a number you enter yourself. The change comes from you; Lighthouse makes it easier to show up every day. FREE: INCLUDED FOR EVERYONE • Daily detox challenges (at least 3 a day, from 25) • The living lighthouse on your Today screen • A 25-minute focus session, with Siri and Shortcuts support ("Start a focus session in Lighthouse") • Daily log: mood, energy and self-reported screen time • XP, 10 levels (from Foggy to Crystal Clear) and 30 medal badges • Daily quests and a 7-day daily reward track • Streaks, streak freezes that protect a missed day, and a streak calendar • Progress charts for the last 7 days • Shareable progress cards • Home Screen widgets (streak and daily tip) LIGHTHOUSE PRO: OPTIONAL PAID UPGRADE • Focus presets: Deep Work 90, Pomodoro 25, Reading 30, Meditation 15, Exercise 45 • Custom focus sessions • Weekly quests • 30-day and 90-day progress charts • PDF report export WHO IT'S FOR • You pick up your phone without deciding to, and want that to stop • You tried a digital detox and it lasted two days • Students and remote workers who want a simple focus timer with a reason to come back tomorrow • Anyone who does better with small daily wins and streaks than with strict rules PRIVACY No account. No ads. Your challenges, logs and focus sessions are stored on your iPhone. Purchases are handled by Apple; our subscription provider, RevenueCat, processes purchase history and an anonymous ID so Pro stays active. Lighthouse is a self-improvement tool and does not provide medical advice. PRICING Lighthouse is free to download and use. Lighthouse Pro is optional: • Monthly: $6.99, with a 3-day free trial • Yearly: $39.99, with a 3-day free trial • Lifetime: $99.99, one-time purchase Prices are in USD for the United States and may vary by country. The free trial is available to eligible new subscribers. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase, or when the free trial ends. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://gwlabs.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://gwlabs.app/privacy
Underneath
Scan or search packaged foods to receive an instant transparency score. Get clear breakdowns of processing, sodium, sugar, and additives, with explanations for each score. Discover healthier alternatives in the same product category.
- Scan barcodes or search by name
- Instant transparency score (0-100)
- Detailed breakdown of processing, sodium, sugar, and additives
- Ingredient list decoding
- Find healthier alternatives
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Underneath helps you see what's really in your food. Underneath reads the label so you do not have to. Scan a barcode and you get one honest score out of 100, built from how processed the food is, what additives are in it and what the nutrition actually says. WHAT IT DOES - Scan any barcode and see the score in a second. - Read the full breakdown: processing, additives, macros, each one explained and each penalty itemised, so you can see exactly why a product scored what it did. - Tap any ingredient to find out what it is and what it does - Find cleaner swaps in the same category, sold in your country. - Search by name, keep a history of everything you have scanned, and add products we do not have yet. SUBSCRIPTION Underneath is a subscription app. New accounts get a 3 day free trial. When the trial ends, a paid subscription to Underneath Plus is required to keep using the app, including scanning, scores, breakdowns, swaps and search. There is no free tier beyond the trial. Underneath Plus is offered as: Yearly: 49.99$/year Monthly: 9.99$/month *Prices are shown in your local currency inside the app before you buy and may vary by region. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple ID account settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://tryunderneath.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://tryunderneath.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Lighthouse at none against Underneath's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Lighthouse sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Underneath sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Lighthouse ships an update fortnightly, Underneath every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lighthouse | Underneath |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.3 (6 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 6 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 100 MB | 75 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | GW Capital Partners LLC | UNDERNEATH LTD |
In-app purchases
Lighthouse
- Lighthouse Monthly3 Days trial$6.991 Month
- Lighthouse Yearly3 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Lighthouse Lifetime$99.99
Underneath
- Underneath Weekly3 Days trial$1.997 Days
- Monthly$9.991 Month
- Underneath Annual Offer$29.991 Year
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- Underneath Annual$49.991 Year
- Underneath Annual3 Days trial$49.991 Year









