XKCD vs Nokoverse
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
XKCD
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.
- Offline reading mode
- Push notifications for new posts
- iPad version support
- In-app purchase to remove ads
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This app is for offline reading of the wonderful Q&A blog by Randall Munroe. Features include: * Offline Reading Mode * Push notifications for new posts * iPad Version, enjoy the articles on the big screen * In-App purchase, no more ads if you don't want them
Nokoverse
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Nokoverse is a world of stories your child listens to. Tap play, put the phone down, and let Noko fill the room with bedtime tales, adventures, songs and wonder. A HOME THAT FEELS ALIVE Noko lives on a lakeside that changes with the day: bright mornings, golden evenings, starry nights. On festivals the whole world dresses up, and on your child's birthday Noko throws a celebration just for them. WHAT'S INSIDE Goodnight Tales: calm, cosy stories to end the day, with a sleep timer that fades gently out. Adventures: interactive stories where Noko asks your child, by name, what happens next. They answer out loud, and the story changes. Discovery: short audio moments about animals, space and nature that spark big questions. Noko Radio: songs for every part of the day, from wake-up tunes to lullabies, free for everyone. MADE FOR LISTENING, NOT WATCHING No videos and no endless scrolling. Stories keep playing with the screen locked, with lock screen controls, autoplay for car rides and quiet time, and a sleep timer for bedtime. BUILT FOR FAMILIES Stories in English and Hindi No ads and nothing to buy Settings kept behind a grown-ups gate Made for children aged 3+ FREE Nokoverse is free. Try 3 stories straight away, then sign in with a phone number to unlock everything, including Adventures. PRIVACY We ask only for what the app needs: a phone number to sign in, and your child's name and birthday to make stories personal. Voice answers in Adventures are understood on the phone itself. Usage analytics stay off unless a parent turns them on, and we never sell your data. NOKO TOY Have a NOKO toy? Pair it in Settings and your child can listen with no phone at all. Questions or feedback: support@nokoverse.com nokoverse.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Nokoverse at fortnightly against XKCD's monthly. XKCD's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. XKCD sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Nokoverse sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
XKCD ships an update monthly, Nokoverse fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | XKCD | Nokoverse |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (22 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 75.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 22 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 100 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dimitry Grekov | Sagar Thackker |
Bugs and requests
XKCD
Reported bugs
24 issues- 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
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- Image alt-text is often truncated
- Footnotes are out of order
- Links are broken
- Missing half a paragraph and an image in at least one article
- App is consistently unusable with iOS 9
- Scrolling is broken, unresponsive at times
- App freezes
- Buttons are disabled during loading
- App doesn't update
- Lack of numbering makes finding place difficult
- Numbers like '3 x 10^12' show up as 'I'
- Reference text bleeds into normal text
- Chronological order of articles not apparent
- Images in articles do not show up
- Formulas do not display
- Formulas are not fixed on older devices
- Text is unnecessarily spaced apart
- New What If? articles are un-openable
- App asks to be reviewed too often
Requested features
13 requests- 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
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- Fix issues with math formatting
- Fix image alt-text truncation
- Fix missing paragraphs and images in articles
- Add a refresh option for content
- Improve chronological order of articles
- Add clear column separators
- Add visual hints about article ordering
- Remove ads or offer a paid ad-free version
Nokoverse
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
XKCD
- Bronze Level$0.99
- Silver Level$4.99
- Gold Level$9.99
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- Platinum Level$19.99
Nokoverse
- Star Pack$0.99
- Moon Pack$1.99
- Comet Pack$4.99
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- Galaxy Pack$9.99









