# XKCD vs Meme 8

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Meme 8 at none against XKCD's 4. Meme 8 also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 76%). XKCD's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. XKCD sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Meme 8 asks for nothing beyond the download.

Meme 8 holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 22 and 17 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of XKCD's written reviews are positive against 100% of Meme 8's.

XKCD ships an update monthly, Meme 8 every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | XKCD | Meme 8 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xkcd-what-if-reader/id757847078/reviews) | **[4.5 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meme-8-ball-lt/id1465553667/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **22** | 17 |
| Positive reviews | 75.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 18 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dimitry Grekov](https://appshunter.io/developer/455609954) | [Sinime](https://appshunter.io/developer/519960370) |

## What reviewers say

### XKCD

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xkcd-what-if-reader/id757847078)

Access and read a popular Q&A blog offline. Get notified of new posts and enjoy articles on a larger screen. Remove ads with an in-app purchase.

**Highlights:** Offline reading mode, Push notifications for new posts, iPad version support, In-app purchase to remove ads

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bronze Level | $0.99 | one-time |
| Silver Level | $4.99 | one-time |
| Gold Level | $9.99 | one-time |
| Platinum Level | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 😂 Humorous and interesting content
- 💡 Informative and educational
- 👍 Clean and simple interface
- 📚 Great collection of articles
- 🚀 Easy to navigate

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App is unreliable
- 🐛 Frequent glitches and bugs
- 🐛 Text won't scroll
- 🐛 Data does not load
- 🐛 Freezes and crashes

**Reported bugs**

- Data does not load
- Text won't scroll
- Too many glitches
- Footnotes with non-ASCII text, footnotes with footnotes, and footnotes with math formatting are broken
- Links inside footnotes don't work right

**Requested features**

- Update app more frequently
- Add 'weird and worrying questions from the what if inbox'
- Add date of publication to articles
- Improve formatting on tablets
- Fix issues with footnotes


### Meme 8

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meme-8-ball-lt/id1465553667)

Get answers to your yes or no questions with a customizable magic 8 ball. Shake your device or tap the screen to reveal a response, with options to add your own answers, change the fluid color, and adjust the ball's demeanor. Includes a vast library of memes for fun, unpredictable results.

**Highlights:** Customizable answers, Adjustable fluid color, Set 8-Ball demeanor, Meme integration, Special meme mode, Multiple answer set options

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is XKCD free?

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

### Is Meme 8 free?

Meme 8 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, XKCD or Meme 8?

Meme 8 is rated higher. XKCD averages 4.3 out of 5 from 22 ratings, while Meme 8 averages 4.5 from 17 ratings.

### Do XKCD or Meme 8 have ads?

Meme 8 shows ads; XKCD does not.

### Which is updated more often, XKCD or Meme 8?

XKCD ships an update monthly, and Meme 8 every 3 months. Most recently, XKCD was updated on November 1, 2026 and Meme 8 on November 3, 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.*