# CARROT vs Paywake

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Paywake at none against CARROT's 10. Paywake also leads on review sentiment (57% vs 24%) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). CARROT's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (2.3K vs 11). On price, rating, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CARROT sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Paywake asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for CARROT against 4.4 for Paywake. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CARROT has 2.3K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 24% of CARROT's written reviews are positive against 57% of Paywake's.

CARROT ships an update weekly, Paywake every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CARROT | Paywake |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (2.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carrot-step-tracker-and-rewards/id885399146/reviews)** | [4.4 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paywake/id6447996352/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.3K** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | 24.0% of reviews | **56.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 24 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Marvel Apps, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/287513275) | [Paywake Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/1683216663) |

## What reviewers say

### CARROT

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carrot-step-tracker-and-rewards/id885399146)

This app rewards you financially for walking and achieving activity goals. Earn virtual currency to play games, compete in challenges, and bid on rewards like gift cards. It gamifies health and wellness with fun competitions and unlockable prizes.

**Highlights:** Earn financial rewards for walking, Personalized daily activity goals, Virtual currency for games and auctions, Live, real-time reward auctions, Gamified health and wellness competitions, Bonus points via iBeacon technology, Support for manual wheelchair users

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CARROT Wellness Premium | $2.99 | per month |
| CARROT Pro (Monthly) | $24.99 | per month |
| 21 in 21 Challenge | $20.99 | one-time |
| 30 in 30 Survivor Challenge | $29.99 | one-time |
| Add 10 additional Participants | $59.99 | one-time |
| Add 50 Participants | $249.99 | one-time |
| Challenge – 50 Users | $314.99 | one-time |
| Add 100 Participants | $499.99 | one-time |
| Challenge – 100 Users | $599.99 | one-time |
| Challenge – 200 Users | $999.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Motivating
- 👍 Fun challenges
- 💡 Innovative concept

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitches and bugs
- 🔒 Poor customer support
- 💰 Unrealistic rewards
- 🚫 Useless for non-premium users
- 🇨🇦 Not suitable for Canadians

**Reported bugs**

- Steps not tracking accurately
- Rewards not being delivered
- Connectivity issues

**Requested features**

- More attainable rewards
- Better syncing with fitness trackers
- Improved communication with users


### Paywake

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paywake/id6447996352)

This app incentivizes users to wake up on time by allowing them to risk money and earn cash rewards. Users set a wake-up time and an amount to deposit, and if they wake up on time, they receive their deposit back plus earnings. Photo verification confirms wakefulness, and earnings can be cashed out to a debit card or Venmo.

**Highlights:** Cash incentives for waking up on time, Link debit card for secure transactions, Set wake-up times and deposit amounts, Photo verification to confirm wakefulness, Instant cash-out options, Streak bonuses for consecutive wake-ups, Leaderboards to compare earnings

**Features:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💰 Legitimate money-making opportunity
- ⏰ Effective habit-building tool for waking up
- 👍 User-friendly interface and design
- 🎯 Simple concept - get paid for waking up on time
- 🤝 Responsive and helpful customer service

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Requires upfront money deposit to earn
- ⏱️ Very tight 2-minute grace period for verification
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezing issues
- 🔐 Account access problems and login failures
- 📵 App doesn't load or function properly

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes immediately upon opening
- Login not recognized despite correct credentials
- Cannot reset password or change login method
- App freezes during photo verification
- App doesn't load regardless of internet connection

**Requested features**

- Gift card payment options (Amazon, Apple, DoorDash, Starbucks, Netflix)
- PayPal integration for deposits and withdrawals
- Credit card payment option
- Flexible wake-up times outside of 5AM minimum
- Referral program


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CARROT free?

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

### Is Paywake free?

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

### Which has better reviews, CARROT or Paywake?

CARROT is rated higher. CARROT averages 4.4 out of 5 from 2.3K ratings, while Paywake averages 4.4 from 11 ratings.

### Do CARROT or Paywake have ads?

Neither CARROT nor Paywake shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CARROT or Paywake?

CARROT ships an update weekly, and Paywake every 2 months. Most recently, CARROT was updated on November 1, 2026 and Paywake 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.*