Comparison

Critter vs Kept By

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

Head to head
About

Critter

Easily track and count any animals or objects you spot during your walks. The app logs the time, location, and quantity of each sighting, allowing you to review your discoveries on a map and in your walk history. It offers a simple, one-tap interface and an Apple Watch companion for convenient counting.

Highlights
  • Count anything with custom lists
  • One-tap logging for sightings
  • Sighting map with location data
  • Detailed walk history
  • Apple Watch companion app
  • Calm, dark-mode-friendly design
  • Guest mode for privacy
Features
Read full description

Critter Counter is the simplest way to keep score of the animals (and anything else) you spot on a walk. Tap once for every critter you see. We'll quietly log the time and location of each sighting so you can revisit the walk later, see exactly where you spotted what, how many you found, and how long you were out. Track one animal or twenty. Rabbits, squirrels, hawks, frogs, neighborhood cats, mushrooms, cool rocks... whatever you want to notice, Critter Counter will count it. Whether you're on a slow evening stroll, a morning loop through the park, or a backyard wander at dusk, Critter Counter turns noticing into a tiny, joyful ritual. FEATURES • Count anything: Start with the twenty common animals we ship with, or add your own. Rabbits, squirrels, owls, butterflies, or "the weird heron at the pond." It's your list. • One-tap counters: A big, satisfying button for each thing you're tracking. No menus, no fuss. See it, tap it. • Sighting map: Every tap is pinned to where you were standing. Review your route as a map of small moments. • Walk history: Every walk is saved with its totals, duration, and sightings. Scroll back through every evening you've been out. • Apple Watch companion: Leave your phone in your pocket. Count from your wrist while you walk, even with multiple critters tracked at once. • A calm design: Dark-mode-friendly so it won't blast your eyes after sundown. • Undo a tap: Accidentally double-counted? One button removes the most recent sighting. • Guest mode: Don't want an account? Use the app without signing in. Your walks stay on your device. • Optional sync: Sign in with a magic link (no password) to back up your walks and sync between iPhone and Apple Watch. WHY USE IT Most fitness apps care about your pace and heart rate. Critter Counter cares about what you noticed. It's a small, single-purpose app for people who pay attention to the world around them and want a record of the small wonders they've crossed paths with. Great for: • Daily dog walkers • Suburban evening strollers • Birders, naturalists, and backyard observers • Kids learning to notice wildlife • Anyone who finds animals delightful (so, everyone) PRIVACY Your location is used only to tag your sightings and draw your walk on a map. In guest mode, nothing leaves your device. If you sign in, your walks sync securely so you can see them on any device you're signed in on. We never sell your data and we don't show ads. You can delete your account and all of your data from inside the app at any time. Happy spotting!

About

Kept By

Digitally preserve cherished paper memories like cards, letters, and notes. Capture images, add details like sender and occasion, and easily organize, search, and revisit your personal keepsakes.

Highlights
  • Digitally preserve paper memories
  • Capture front, inside, and back images
  • Add sender, event, date, and notes
  • Organize and search personal collection
  • Browse saved keepsakes easily
Features
Read full description

Kept By helps you preserve the cards, letters, notes, and personal keepsakes that matter. Instead of keeping meaningful paper memories scattered in boxes, drawers, or folders, Kept By gives you a simple way to capture and organize them on your iPhone. Use Kept By to photograph the front, inside pages, and back of a card or letter, then save it with helpful details such as the sender, occasion, date, and personal notes. Your keepsakes can be browsed, searched, and revisited whenever you want. Features: • Capture cards, letters, notes, and keepsakes • Save front, inside, and optional back images • Add sender, event, date, and notes • Browse your saved memories in one place • Search and organize your personal collection • View saved keepsakes in a clean, simple layout Kept By is designed for personal memory keeping. It is not a social network and does not require an account.

Screenshots

Critter3 screens
Kept By4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Critter at none against Kept By's 1. Critter also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Kept By sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Critter asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Critter against 5.0 for Kept By. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 3 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Critter ships an update every 2 weeks, Kept By every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Critter versus Kept By: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCritterKept By
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings33
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB68 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCHRISTOPHER RYAN SPURLOCKJames Jackson

Customer experience

Critter

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Kept By

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Critter

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Kept By

One-time1
  • Unlimited Keepsakes$4.99

Questions

Is Critter free?
Critter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Kept By free?
Kept By is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Critter or Kept By?
Critter and Kept By are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Critter or Kept By have ads?
Neither Critter nor Kept By shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Critter or Kept By?
Critter ships an update every 2 weeks, and Kept By every 2 months. Most recently, Critter was updated on October 7, 2026 and Kept By on October 19, 2026.

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