# Hopevale vs Waffle

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hopevale at none against Waffle's 17. Waffle's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (11K vs 15). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Waffle sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. Hopevale asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Hopevale against 4.6 for Waffle. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Waffle has 11K ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Hopevale's written reviews are positive against 46% of Waffle's.

Hopevale ships an update every 6 months, Waffle weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hopevale | Waffle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hopevale/id875095046/reviews)** | [4.6 (11K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waffle-shared-journal/id1519726353/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 15 | **11K** |
| Positive reviews | **50.0% of reviews** | 46.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#129** |
| Size | 46 MB | 143 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hopevale Church](https://appshunter.io/developer/1458379415) | [Poppy AI, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1441348259) |

## What reviewers say

### Hopevale

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hopevale/id875095046)

Engage with a Christian community, access media content, and make donations. Learn about church essentials and beliefs.

**Highlights:** Community engagement, Media content access, Convenient donations, Learn church essentials, Information about beliefs

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Waffle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/waffle-shared-journal/id1519726353)

**Currently charting:** #129 Top Grossing · Lifestyle (US App Store)

This app facilitates shared journaling for couples, families, and friends to deepen connections. Users can share daily updates, photos, and videos, and answer prompts to get to know each other better. It offers a private space to document memories and strengthen relationships.

**Highlights:** Shared journaling for groups, Photo and video sharing, Daily prompts to foster connection, Customizable journal covers, Private and secure entries, Relationship strengthening tool

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

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Waffle Weekly | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Waffle Monthly Plus | $14.99 | per month |
| Waffle Monthly Plus | $19.99 | per month |
| Waffle Unlimited | $39.99 | per year |
| 1 Plus Journal | $39.99 | per year |
| Waffle Unlimited | $39.99 | per year |
| Waffle Unlimited Plus | $49.99 | per year |
| 1 Plus Journal | $49.99 | per year |
| Waffle Unlimited | $59.99 | per year |
| 1 Plus Journal | $74.99 | per year |
| Waffle Unlimited | $74.99 | per year |
| Waffle Unlimited | $89.99 | per year |
| 2 Plus Journals | $89.99 | per year |
| Unlimited Plus Journals | $129.00 | per year |
| 2 Plus Journals | $129.99 | per year |
| Unlimited Plus | $199.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Unlimited | $199.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤗 Excellent for shared journaling with friends/family
- 🎨 Beautiful and intuitive user interface
- 🤝 Helps strengthen long-distance relationships
- 📝 Convenient way to record daily thoughts and memories
- 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Great for family/group journaling

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Overly expensive subscription model
- 🔒 Lack of privacy/control over shared journals
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and bugs
- 🗓️ Inability to backdate journal entries
- 📢 Lack of notification/comment features for shared journals

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when trying to open old journal entries
- Issues with uploading and viewing photos/videos
- Inability to create new journals or add collaborators

**Requested features**

- Add ability to comment on journal entries
- Implement a more flexible pricing structure (e.g., monthly option)
- Allow customization of journal covers and layouts
- Improve stability and fix reported bugs
- Add time zone support for shared journals


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hopevale free?

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

### Is Waffle free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Hopevale or Waffle?

Hopevale is rated higher. Hopevale averages 4.7 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while Waffle averages 4.6 from 11K ratings.

### Do Hopevale or Waffle have ads?

Neither Hopevale nor Waffle shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hopevale or Waffle?

Hopevale ships an update every 6 months, and Waffle weekly. Most recently, Hopevale was updated on October 24, 2026 and Waffle on October 27, 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.*