# Instead vs Crying Diary

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Crying Diary at none against Instead's 2. Crying Diary also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Instead sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Crying Diary asks for nothing beyond the download.

Instead ships an update every 11 days, Crying Diary every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Instead | Crying Diary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/instead-things-to-do/id6774246848/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3** | — |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 11 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Size | 65 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sarthak Jain](https://appshunter.io/developer/1868060371) | [Ivan Antonijevic](https://appshunter.io/developer/6783019075) |

## What reviewers say

### Instead

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/instead-things-to-do/id6774246848)

This app offers a curated menu of real-life activities to help you break the habit of excessive scrolling. It suggests small, engaging tasks based on your available time and mood, promoting mindfulness and intentional downtime.

**Highlights:** Personalized activity suggestions, Time-based activity filtering, Mood-based activity filtering, Customizable activity menu, Streak tracking, Weekly statistics

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Instead Premium Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Instead Premium Yearly | $39.99 | per year |


### Crying Diary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crying-diary-tears-tracker/id6786874615)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Instead free?

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

### Is Crying Diary free?

Crying Diary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Instead or Crying Diary have ads?

Neither Instead nor Crying Diary shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Instead or Crying Diary?

Instead ships an update every 11 days, and Crying Diary every 3 weeks. Most recently, Instead was updated on October 7, 2026 and Crying Diary on October 11, 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.*