Comparison

The Safe Plate vs Shiny Fork

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

Head to head
About

The Safe Plate

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
Read full description

The Safe Plate is an independent app. It is NOT a government app. It does not represent, and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by, any government agency or health department. The Safe Plate makes official restaurant health inspection records easy to search before you eat out. WHAT YOU'LL SEE • Search any restaurant by name and city. • The most recent inspection and the violations the inspector recorded, in the agency's own words. • The date of each inspection and the agency that issued the record. • Save up to 3 restaurants for free. A free account is required to use the app. PREMIUM ($2.99/month or $24.99/year; 7 days free for new subscribers) • Alerts when a saved restaurant has a new inspection on record. • Full inspection history, not just the latest visit. • A violation trend chart to see whether a restaurant is improving. • Unlimited saved restaurants. Payment is charged to your Apple ID. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel any time in your Apple ID settings. DATA SOURCES 229 official government sources in 40 states and Washington DC — mostly county and state health departments. Every record names the agency that issued it. Full list, with links to each agency: https://thesafeplate.com/data-sources DISCLAIMER The Safe Plate does not inspect restaurants and adds no reviews, ratings or scores of its own. Records are shown as published by the issuing agency; we do not independently verify them, and they may be delayed or incomplete. For official records, contact the issuing agency directly. If a listing looks wrong, report it from the restaurant's page. Terms: https://thesafeplate.com/terms Privacy: https://thesafeplate.com/privacy

About

Shiny Fork

Features
Read full description

Shiny Fork shows you what health inspectors saw — for nearly every restaurant in 46 US states. Search by name, browse a map, see violation history, and read AI-generated summaries that translate inspection jargon into plain English. Know Before You Dine - Search 900,000+ restaurants across 46 US states - Color-coded map pins show inspection status at a glance - Detailed violation history - AI-powered summaries translate health code into plain language - Track your favorite restaurants and get alerts on new inspections - Watch zip codes and receive weekly digests - Filter by risk level, violation category, or how recently inspected Pro Subscription Unlock the full feature set with Shiny Fork Pro: - $2.99 per month, or $29.99 per year (save 16%) - 7-day free trial (new subscribers) - AI inspection summaries - Violation trend charts - Push notification alerts - Unlimited zip code monitoring Subscriptions auto-renew until canceled. Cancel anytime in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. Privacy: https://shinyfork.com/privacy Terms: https://shinyfork.com/terms

Screenshots

The Safe Plate4 screens
Shiny Fork3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: The Safe Plate at every 5 days against Shiny Fork's every 10 days. 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Safe Plate ships an update every 5 days, Shiny Fork every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
The Safe Plate versus Shiny Fork: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Safe PlateShiny Fork
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size184 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe Safe Plate LLCinifo, LLC

In-app purchases

2 purchases

The Safe Plate

Subscriptions2
  • Premium7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
2 purchases

Shiny Fork

Subscriptions2
  • Shiny Fork Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Shiny Fork Annual Subscription$29.991 Year

Questions

Is The Safe Plate free?
The Safe Plate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shiny Fork free?
Shiny Fork is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do The Safe Plate or Shiny Fork have ads?
Neither The Safe Plate nor Shiny Fork shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Safe Plate or Shiny Fork?
The Safe Plate ships an update every 5 days, and Shiny Fork every 10 days. Most recently, The Safe Plate was updated on October 28, 2026 and Shiny Fork on October 7, 2026.

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