Archetype Decks vs Archetype Matrix
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Archetype Decks
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Ask the Archetype is a depth psychology field guide. 78 figures from Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, James Hillman, Carol Pearson, and Clarissa Pinkola Estés, one a day, with citations. You draw one card a day. Just one. The deck rests until tomorrow. Each card holds a few things to sit with. A short oracle reading. A scholarly description of the figure, with the thinkers who wrote about it named. A few plain questions in everyday language. A few questions written the way the thinkers wrote them, with citations. A short reading list, if you want to follow a thread further. A note on cultural humility when a figure touches a living tradition. That is the whole app. You pull a card. You read what other people have wondered about it. You leave when you are ready. There are no streaks. No notifications. No badges. No accounts. No data collection. No ads. No subscriptions. The deck does not chase you. If you want to leave a tip, there is a small gratitude jar in Settings. Four tiers, named honestly. A candle for the desk. An afternoon in the stacks. And two for people who really want to send a thank you. 100% of net proceeds go to Nutcracker syndrome research, building toward a dedicated research grant with NORD, the National Organization for Rare Disorders. Nutcracker syndrome is a rare vascular condition most people have never heard of, which is part of why I chose it. Quarterly receipts at sillydroose.com/donations/askthearchetype. All 78 cards are available without paying anything. I built this because I love reading about archetypes, and I wanted somewhere quiet to spend a minute with one each morning. If that sounds like your kind of thing, welcome. Drew
Archetype Matrix
Log your daily mood and identify archetypes to see how they resonate with others globally. Explore collective trends, send anonymous signals of connection, and track your personal patterns over time. This app offers a unique way to notice and reflect on your inner world.
- Daily mood and archetype logging
- Anonymous global resonance tracking
- Collective archetype leaderboards
- Live feed of global entries
- Anonymous 'You Are Not Alone' signals
- Personal pattern tracking
- Jungian archetype insights
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Carl Jung believed that beneath each personal mind there is a layer we all share, the collective unconscious, and that it speaks through archetypes. The Shadow, the Mother, the Trickster, the old symbols that keep returning in myths and dreams in every culture. Archetype Matrix is mapping that layer. People around the world write down the archetypes they feel moving through them, and every entry becomes a point on a map of the collective unconscious that changes as they write. Taking part is simple. A few times a day you note how you feel and write up to four archetypes that seem to be around you at that moment. The Shadow, a snake, a door, an old woman, something you saw in a dream last night, whatever comes to you. Each one is three words at most, in your own language and your own wording. There is no list to pick from. Your entry stays anonymous. The Collective Network works like a news portal of the unconscious. The Live Feed shows what people are logging right now, you can see which archetypes are rising in each country, and follow how they shift by week, month, season and moon phase. When an archetype suddenly breaks out somewhere, appearing far more often than usual, the app catches it and sends you the news. In the Personal Network you follow your own trail: every archetype and mood you have logged, the patterns they form over time, and private notes you can attach to any entry. In the Live Feed you can tap the archetypes in other people's entries that feel close to you, and the app shows which countries, age groups and genders you seem to share the most with. When someone logs the same archetype around the same time as you, you can send each other an anonymous signal. This is not astrology and it doesn't diagnose anything. It counts what people write and shows you the result. What it means is up to you. If you are drawn to depth psychology, shadow work, mythology, symbols or dreams, this was made with you in mind. You can start without an account. You only need to sign in if you want your entries to follow you to another device. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://archetypematrix.app/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Archetype Matrix at every 6 days against Archetype Decks's every 3 weeks. Archetype Matrix also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, 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. Archetype Decks sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Archetype Matrix sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Archetype Decks ships an update every 3 weeks, Archetype Matrix every 6 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Archetype Decks | Archetype Matrix |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 202 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Drew Douglass | NAZAN ERDOGAN |
In-app purchases
Archetype Decks
- A candle for the desk$1.99
- An afternoon in the stacks$4.99
- A key to the collection$9.99
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- A new wing for the library$19.99
Archetype Matrix
- Archetype Matrix PRO$2.991 Month
Questions
Is Archetype Decks free?
Is Archetype Matrix free?
Do Archetype Decks or Archetype Matrix have ads?
Which is updated more often, Archetype Decks or Archetype Matrix?
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