# Companions vs Thoughts

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Thoughts at none against Companions's 10. Thoughts also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 90%). Companions's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly) and ratings volume (7 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Companions sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per month. Thoughts asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Companions against 5.0 for Thoughts. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Companions has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 90% of Companions's written reviews are positive against 100% of Thoughts's.

Companions ships an update every 2 days, Thoughts weekly. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Companions | Thoughts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/companions-widget-pets/id6811950512/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thoughts-message-yourself/id6812731361/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 90.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 days** | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 105 MB | 113 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tiaan Johan van der Riel](https://appshunter.io/developer/1656996473) | [Luca Ring](https://appshunter.io/developer/1894680028) |

## What reviewers say

### Companions

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/companions-widget-pets/id6811950512)

Add a virtual aquarium to your Home Screen with customizable fish and tank styles. Enjoy a low-maintenance digital pet experience without the need for feeding or cleaning. Watch your companions swim and interact directly from your widget.

**Highlights:** Home Screen widgets, Customizable fish and tank styles, Multiple fish pack options, Interactive bubble feature, Supports iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, No feeding or cleaning required

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| All Fish | $3.49 | per month |
| Whale Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pond Creatures Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Reef Pack 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Freshwater Pack 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Reef Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Sea Creatures Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Shark Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pond Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| All Fish Lifetime | $34.99 | one-time |


### Thoughts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thoughts-message-yourself/id6812731361)

A private chat-style diary for capturing thoughts, memories, and experiences. Organize entries with photos, voice notes, and tasks, track your mood and habits, and secure your data with biometric locks.

**Highlights:** Chat-style diary entries, Multimedia attachments (photos, voice, files), Mood and habit tracking, Future self messages, Customizable chat appearance, Biometric app lock, iCloud sync

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Companions free?

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

### Is Thoughts free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Companions or Thoughts?

Companions and Thoughts are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 7 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Companions or Thoughts have ads?

Neither Companions nor Thoughts shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Companions or Thoughts?

Companions ships an update every 2 days, and Thoughts weekly. Most recently, Companions was updated on November 1, 2026 and Thoughts on November 1, 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.*