# XKCD vs Bun Alert

The clearest difference is rating: Bun Alert at 5.0 against XKCD's 4.3. Bun Alert also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and review sentiment (100% vs 76%). XKCD's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.6). On price, ratings volume and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Bun Alert holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 22 and 40 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of XKCD's written reviews are positive against 100% of Bun Alert's.

XKCD ships an update monthly, Bun Alert every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | XKCD | Bun Alert |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xkcd-what-if-reader/id757847078/reviews) | **[5.0 (40 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bun-alert/id1476545203/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 22 | **40** |
| Positive reviews | 75.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 18 MB | 74 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Dimitry Grekov](https://appshunter.io/developer/455609954) | [Austin Nelson](https://appshunter.io/developer/1476545202) |

## 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


### Bun Alert

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bun-alert/id1476545203)

Get real-time notifications when a bun is spotted using crowd-sourced technology. Document and share sightings of these adorable bread-like creatures with friends. Inspired by popular comics.

**Highlights:** Real-time bun spotting notifications, Crowd-sourced technology, Document bun sightings, Share with friends, Inspired by XKCD comics

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is XKCD free?

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

### Is Bun Alert free?

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

### Which has better reviews, XKCD or Bun Alert?

Bun Alert is rated higher. XKCD averages 4.3 out of 5 from 22 ratings, while Bun Alert averages 5.0 from 40 ratings.

### Do XKCD or Bun Alert have ads?

Bun Alert shows ads; XKCD does not.

### Which is updated more often, XKCD or Bun Alert?

XKCD ships an update monthly, and Bun Alert every 9 days. Most recently, XKCD was updated on October 16, 2026 and Bun Alert on October 13, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*