How {Things} Work vs CurioSeed
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
How {Things} Work
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Ever wondered how a microwave actually heats your dinner? How Wi-Fi gets through walls? How an MRI sees inside you without cutting you open? How {things} Work is a field guide to the machinery of modern life - short, plainspoken explainers about the everyday objects, systems, and ideas that quietly run the world. Every topic has three reading depths. - The short version - a paragraph that answers the question. - Go Deeper - a more technical pass, already prepared. - The Full Picture - edge cases, context, and broader connections. What's inside the first release: - Around 200 topics across 30 categories - from home appliances and transport, to your senses, the weather, money, materials, AI, and more - A quick quiz at the end of each topic, so the details stay - Bookmarks for the ones you want to come back to - Source links at the foot of every topic Built to read calmly. No accounts. No ads. No tracking. Works fully offline once installed. Read on the train, in bed, or in the kitchen while something's in the oven. For the curious - and for anyone who keeps getting asked "how does that actually work?"
CurioSeed
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What is this, and how does it work? CurioSeed turns an everyday object into a short science exploration. Take a photo, let AI identify it, pick the question you actually want answered, and read a short, clear explanation of the science inside. Why does moving a mouse move the pointer on a screen? Everyday objects hold questions you may never have thought to ask. START WITH A PHOTO Take a photo or choose one from your library. AI helps identify the object and explain what it might be. Check the suggested identity and any uncertainty before exploring further. A built-in mouse example lets you try the experience without uploading a photo. FOLLOW YOUR QUESTIONS Choose what you want to know, read a short explanation, open related concepts or ask your own follow-up questions. Explore names, English pronunciation and more information when you want it. A knowledge map lets you revisit the paths you have explored. KEEP YOUR DISCOVERIES Save the photo, explanations, chosen questions and connections in your Discovery Journal. Each photo becomes its own booklet to page through, illustrated with matching Wikimedia Commons images when available. Save two or more and a collection booklet brings them together. Add a note in your own words, or skip it. Saved content can be read again without another AI request or photo credit. The journal stays on this device and does not sync between devices. Deleting the app or losing the device may erase it. YOUR LANGUAGE The app follows your system language and supports Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French and German, with English as the fallback. You can choose a language in Settings. New explorations use that language; saved discoveries keep their original text. USAGE AND PURCHASES Includes 5 free successful photo explorations per verified App Store account and app identity. Reinstalling does not renew this allowance. A one-time 20-photo pack is available in the parent area at the price shown by the App Store. It does not auto-renew. Failed, cancelled or blocked attempts do not use credits; successful delivery after your confirmation does. Follow-up questions and related concepts do not cost extra photo credits, but cloud service rate limits apply. Existing subscription restoration and management remain available. AI can make mistakes. Photograph everyday objects and avoid personal information. Read the data notice before using cloud features. Photos and related text are processed by DeepSeek through Cloudflare. New AI content requires an internet connection. No separate app registration is required. Privacy: https://encyclopedia-ai-proxy.wangyaominde.workers.dev/privacy?lang=en Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Support: https://encyclopedia-ai-proxy.wangyaominde.workers.dev/support?lang=en
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: How {Things} Work at none against CurioSeed's 1. How {Things} Work also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.5). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. CurioSeed sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. How {Things} Work asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | How {Things} Work | CurioSeed |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | โ | Every 4 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No โ better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 โ better | 26.5 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | ccburns.me | ่ๆฐ ็ |
In-app purchases
How {Things} Work
No in-app purchases
CurioSeed
- 20 Photo Recognitions$2.99









