# Merit vs Arc

Merit and Arc 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. Merit sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Arc sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Merit ships an update every 3 weeks, Arc every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Merit | Arc |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Size | 3 MB | 61 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [岚烜 吴](https://appshunter.io/developer/6788589687) | [Felix Hartmann](https://appshunter.io/developer/1884127281) |

## What reviewers say

### Merit

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/merit-screen-time-blocker/id6795602793)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Everything | $5.99 | one-time |


### Arc

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arc-habit-tracker/id6803226057)

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Arc Unlimited — 1 Year | $17.99 | per year |
| Arc Unlimited — 1 Year | $17.99 | per year |
| Book Sprint | $2.99 | one-time |
| Dopamine Reset | $2.99 | one-time |
| 5AM Club | $2.99 | one-time |
| Sober Month | $2.99 | one-time |
| 75 Soft | $3.99 | one-time |
| Couch to 5K | $3.99 | one-time |
| Winter Arc | $4.99 | one-time |
| 100 Days of Code | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Merit free?

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

### Is Arc free?

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

### Do Merit or Arc have ads?

Neither Merit nor Arc shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Merit or Arc?

Merit ships an update every 3 weeks, and Arc every 2 weeks. Most recently, Merit was updated on October 7, 2026 and Arc on October 12, 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.*