# Exist vs Lifelight

The clearest difference is rating: Lifelight at 4.7 against Exist's 4.0. Lifelight also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Exist sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $8.49 per month and Lifelight sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Lifelight holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lifelight has 410 ratings behind it against 47, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Exist's written reviews are positive against 78% of Lifelight's.

Exist ships an update every 3 weeks, Lifelight every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Exist | Lifelight |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (47 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exist/id986201088/reviews) | **[4.7 (410 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lifelight-ai-journal-and-memory/id1631169735/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 47 | **410** |
| Positive reviews | 68.4% of reviews | **78.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 14 MB | 89 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hello Code Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/933609066) | [LIGHT WITHIN LIFE PTE. LTD.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1319085476) |

## What reviewers say

### Exist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exist/id986201088)

This app helps you understand and optimize your behavior by combining manual tracking with automatic syncing from various services. Track health, productivity, and more, uncover relationships between habits, and run experiments on your behavior. Gain daily insights and weekly summaries to improve your life.

**Highlights:** Track any data point manually, Automatic syncing from health and productivity services, Daily insights and weekly summaries, Discover correlations between habits, Run behavioral experiments, Integrates with Apple Health and other services

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Exist monthly subscription | $8.49 | per month |


### Lifelight

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lifelight-ai-journal-and-memory/id1631169735)

This app helps you capture daily thoughts, photos, and moods, transforming them into a blooming digital garden. It offers AI-powered insights into your emotional patterns and growth, with features for deeper chats and weekly letters.

**Highlights:** Daily journaling of thoughts, photos, and moods, Memories visualized as a growing garden, AI-driven self-discovery reports, Thoughtful AI responses, Weekly letters from friends, Voice calls for deeper chats

**Features:** Apple Watch app, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $12.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| 50 Crystal Balls | $1.99 | one-time |
| Voice Card | $4.99 | one-time |
| 300 Crystal Balls | $6.99 | one-time |
| Special Sale - LifeTime | $199.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💖 Lovely visuals
- 🤖 Excellent AI features
- 🗓️ Convenient journaling
- 🌐 Cross-device sync
- 🔒 Privacy-focused

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with data collection
- 🤖 Unreliable AI responses
- 📁 Deleted entries
- 🤔 Confusing user experience

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent crashes and errors
- Entries disappearing or getting out of order
- Syncing issues across devices
- Exporting data resulting in corrupted files
- Unreliable AI responses and functionality

**Requested features**

- Add ability to set entry timestamps
- Integrate with calendars, health, and other data sources
- Allow customization of AI personality
- Improve export functionality to avoid data loss
- Provide better support and communication channels


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Exist free?

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

### Is Lifelight free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Exist or Lifelight?

Lifelight is rated higher. Exist averages 4.0 out of 5 from 47 ratings, while Lifelight averages 4.7 from 410 ratings.

### Do Exist or Lifelight have ads?

Neither Exist nor Lifelight shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Exist or Lifelight?

Exist ships an update every 3 weeks, and Lifelight every 4 days. Most recently, Exist was updated on October 24, 2026 and Lifelight on October 30, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*