# Playground Buddy vs FriendsWithTools

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Playground Buddy at none against FriendsWithTools's 4. FriendsWithTools's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. FriendsWithTools sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Playground Buddy asks for nothing beyond the download.

Playground Buddy ships an update every 3 months, FriendsWithTools weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Playground Buddy | FriendsWithTools |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (48 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/playground-buddy/id933016168/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **48** | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 9 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Birds Eye Technology](https://appshunter.io/developer/928915141) | [FriendsWithTools](https://appshunter.io/developer/6772544330) |

## What reviewers say

### Playground Buddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/playground-buddy/id933016168)

Discover playgrounds globally with a vast database of over 700,000 locations. Get directions, view photos, and share playground details. Save favorites, log visits, and contribute new playgrounds and photos.

**Highlights:** Worldwide playground database, Search by location, Get directions, View playground photos, Share playground info, Save favorite playgrounds, Log playground visits, Add new playgrounds

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🗺️ Great for finding nearby parks
- 💡 Useful concept for exploring
- 🌍 Good for travel and road trips
- 👍 Easy to use and add info
- 💖 Loved by parents and families

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🗄️ Outdated information and photos
- 🤷 Lacks detailed information
- 📉 Few completed parks in some areas
- 🚫 Some parks not publicly accessible
- ❓ Missing critical data

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes within seconds
- Submitting feedback results in a blank screen
- Contributions and photos disappear
- Text shows up black on black background (dark theme)
- Favorites list not linking to park data

**Requested features**

- Add personal notes on places
- Filter out school playgrounds
- Ability to build a personal list of parks visited
- Support dark screens (writing visible)
- Filter for inclusive playground equipment


### FriendsWithTools

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/friendswithtools/id6772544328)

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FriendsWithTools Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| FriendsWIthTools Commercial Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| FriendsWithTools Premium Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| FriendsWithTools Commercial Annual | $99.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Playground Buddy free?

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

### Is FriendsWithTools free?

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

### Do Playground Buddy or FriendsWithTools have ads?

Neither Playground Buddy nor FriendsWithTools shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Playground Buddy or FriendsWithTools?

Playground Buddy ships an update every 3 months, and FriendsWithTools weekly. Most recently, Playground Buddy was updated on October 22, 2026 and FriendsWithTools on October 17, 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.*