# Pääsy vs Shale

Pääsy and Shale are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Both are free to download. Pääsy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $17.90 per month and Shale sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pääsy ships an update every 3 days, Shale every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pääsy | Shale |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 5 days |
| Size | 53 MB | 59 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Valinta Digital Oy](https://appshunter.io/developer/6783481012) | [Elias Leinonen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1893625652) |

## What reviewers say

### Pääsy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paasy/id6783481010)

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pääsy+ | $17.90 | per month |
| Pääsy+ | $22.99 | per month |


### Shale

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shale-block-and-study/id6799409520)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Shale Pro Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Shale Annual Plan | $34.99 | per year |
| Shale Pro Lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pääsy free?

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

### Is Shale free?

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

### Do Pääsy or Shale have ads?

Neither Pääsy nor Shale shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pääsy or Shale?

Pääsy ships an update every 3 days, and Shale every 5 days. Most recently, Pääsy was updated on November 5, 2026 and Shale on November 7, 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.*