# Karen Eats vs The Safe Plate

The clearest difference is ads: Karen Eats at none against The Safe Plate's shown. Karen Eats also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). The Safe Plate's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Karen Eats sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and The Safe Plate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Karen Eats against 5.0 for The Safe Plate. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 5 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Karen Eats ships an update fortnightly, The Safe Plate weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Karen Eats | The Safe Plate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/karen-eats/id6761808356/reviews) | [5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-safe-plate/id6765819833/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 168 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.6** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Heslil Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1844582720) | [The Safe Plate LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896087991) |

## What reviewers say

### Karen Eats

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/karen-eats/id6761808356)

This app translates government health inspection records into an easy-to-understand score for restaurants. It highlights critical issues like pest activity and repeat violations, helping you make informed dining choices.

**Highlights:** Restaurant health score (0-100), Flags pest and rodent activity, Shows recent closures and repeat violations, Integrates with Maps and Yelp, Accesses official health department records, Updates with new inspections

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy Karen a coffee | $0.99 | one-time |
| Buy Karen lunch | $4.99 | one-time |
| Karen's biggest fan | $9.99 | one-time |


### The Safe Plate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-safe-plate/id6765819833)

Access official restaurant health inspection records nationwide. Search by name to see inspection dates, violation details, letter grades, and full history. Get the facts directly from government health department portals.

**Highlights:** Restaurant health inspection records, Nationwide search by name, Official inspection dates and results, Violation details and letter grades, Full inspection history, AI-powered violation summaries (Premium)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly | $24.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Karen Eats free?

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

### Is The Safe Plate free?

The Safe Plate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Karen Eats or The Safe Plate?

Karen Eats and The Safe Plate are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 5 ratings respectively.

### Do Karen Eats or The Safe Plate have ads?

The Safe Plate shows ads; Karen Eats does not.

### Which is updated more often, Karen Eats or The Safe Plate?

Karen Eats ships an update fortnightly, and The Safe Plate weekly. Most recently, Karen Eats was updated on October 20, 2026 and The Safe Plate on October 7, 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.*