# Product Hunt vs ResearchGate

The clearest difference is ads: Product Hunt at none against ResearchGate's shown. Product Hunt also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 5 weeks). ResearchGate's advantage is ratings volume (15K vs 3.8K). On price, rating, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Product Hunt against 4.8 for ResearchGate. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.8K and 15K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 64% of Product Hunt's written reviews are positive against 46% of ResearchGate's.

Product Hunt ships an update every 9 days, ResearchGate every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Product Hunt | ResearchGate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (3.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/product-hunt/id904658671/reviews) | **[4.8 (15K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/researchgate/id1208163937/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 3.8K | **15K** |
| Positive reviews | **63.6% of reviews** | 46.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 139 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Product Hunt Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/904658674) | [ResearchGate GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1098614371) |

## What reviewers say

### Product Hunt

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/product-hunt/id904658671)

Discover the latest tech and startup products daily. Engage with a supportive community of enthusiasts and makers to provide feedback, find new tools, and stay ahead of trends. Launch your own ideas and get them noticed.

**Highlights:** Daily new product discovery, Community feedback and support, Launch new tech ideas, Explore trending technology, Follow specific interests, Engage in discussions

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great for seeing new products
- 👍 Useful for finding innovative products
- 👍 Helpful community
- 👍 Clean and fast app
- 👍 Convenient mobile experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🐛 Unresponsive UI and navigation issues
- 🐛 Sync issues between app and website
- 🐛 Performance problems on some devices
- 🔋 High battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and repeatedly asking to sign in
- Inability to view past days' products after navigating away
- Crashes when trying to view product details
- Scrolling issues and content not loading properly

**Requested features**

- Add ability to submit/upload new products
- Improve search and filtering functionality
- Bring back simple list view without images
- Add support for iPad
- Improve personalization and customization options


### ResearchGate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/researchgate/id1208163937)

Access over 150 million scientific publications and connect with millions of researchers worldwide. Stay updated on new research in your field, track your academic stats, and download full-text articles for offline reading.

**Highlights:** Access 150+ million publications, Connect with 20+ million researchers, Stay updated on new research, Track academic stats and reports, Download full-texts for offline reading

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Useful for research and collaboration
- 👍 Great for tracking citations and impact
- 🔍 Helpful for discovering relevant research
- 💡 Valuable platform for sharing work
- 🌟 Excellent resource for researchers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 📱 Not optimized for iPad/tablet use
- 🔍 Poor search functionality
- 🔒 Restrictive registration process
- 🤖 Inconsistencies between app and website

**Reported bugs**

- Notifications not working properly
- Inconsistent data between app and website
- Login issues with Facebook and LinkedIn
- Crashes when opening certain content
- UI elements overlapping on iPhone X/newer

**Requested features**

- Add iPad/tablet support
- Improve search and filtering options
- Streamline registration and account management
- Integrate question/answer functionality in app
- Provide more customization and personalization


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Product Hunt free?

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

### Is ResearchGate free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Product Hunt or ResearchGate?

ResearchGate is rated higher. Product Hunt averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.8K ratings, while ResearchGate averages 4.8 from 15K ratings.

### Do Product Hunt or ResearchGate have ads?

ResearchGate shows ads; Product Hunt does not.

### Which is updated more often, Product Hunt or ResearchGate?

Product Hunt ships an update every 9 days, and ResearchGate every 5 weeks. Most recently, Product Hunt was updated on November 1, 2026 and ResearchGate on November 5, 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.*