Comparison

Google Cardboard vs Idea Jar

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Google Cardboard

Experience virtual reality on your iPhone. This app guides you through setting up a compatible viewer and offers initial immersive experiences to explore.

Highlights
  • VR viewer setup
  • Introductory VR experiences
  • iPhone compatibility
  • Cardboard viewer integration
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Cardboard puts virtual reality on your iPhone. The Google Cardboard app helps you set up a Cardboard viewer and includes a few experiences to get you started. To fully enjoy this app you'll need a Cardboard viewer. Learn more and get your own Cardboard viewer at http://g.co/cardboard. Do not use this app while driving, walking, or otherwise by being distracted or disoriented from real world situations that prevent you from obeying traffic or safety laws.

About

Idea Jar

Features
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Tired of asking "so… what should we do today?" and ending up on the couch scrolling? What to do today keeps all your activity ideas in one place and gives you ONE clear suggestion — matched to today's weather. No endless lists, no decision fatigue. Open the app, see today's pick, and go do it. HOW IT WORKS 1. Save your ideas — big or small. A picnic in the park, that new bakery, a museum for rainy days. 2. Tag each idea with the weather and season it fits, how long it takes, and how you'll get there. 3. Open the app and get today's pick, chosen to match the current weather and time of year. Not feeling it? Tap "Another activity" and get the next best match. FEATURES • Today's pick: one clear, weather-matched suggestion instead of an overwhelming list • Live weather: current conditions and forecast at your location, plus the weather at the activity itself • Your idea library: searchable, taggable, with photos, locations and durations • Travel time: see how long it takes to get there — walking, cycling, transit or by car • Week ahead: upcoming forecast so you can plan the right day for the right idea • Track what you've done: mark ideas completed and watch your stats grow • Light and dark mode, Celsius and Fahrenheit MADE FOR REAL LIFE Weekend with the kids? Date night? A free Tuesday evening after work? Fill the app with ideas once, and it does the remembering — and the deciding — for you. The app is free to use with ads. Remove them with a one-time purchase or a monthly subscription, whichever you prefer. Stop deciding. Start doing. Download What to do today and make today count. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Google Cardboard4 screens
Idea Jar3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Google Cardboard at none against Idea Jar's 2. Google Cardboard also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.5). Idea Jar's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Idea Jar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Google Cardboard asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Google Cardboard ships an update every 3 months, Idea Jar every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Google Cardboard versus Idea Jar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGoogle CardboardIdea Jar
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.7 (683 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews26.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings683 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGoogleAppDaniel

Bugs and requests

Google Cardboard

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Constant spinning/shaking on some devices
  • Crashes and freezes on launch
  • Incompatibility with certain VR headsets

Requested features

4 requests
  • More VR games and interactive experiences
  • Ability to view own photos/videos in VR
  • Support for newer iOS versions
  • Improved navigation and controls

Idea Jar

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Google Cardboard

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Idea Jar

Subscriptions1
  • Remove ads$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Remove ads$29.99

Questions

Is Google Cardboard free?
Google Cardboard is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Idea Jar free?
Idea Jar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Google Cardboard or Idea Jar have ads?
Idea Jar shows ads; Google Cardboard does not.
Which is updated more often, Google Cardboard or Idea Jar?
Google Cardboard ships an update every 3 months, and Idea Jar every 3 days. Most recently, Google Cardboard was updated on November 7, 2026 and Idea Jar on October 31, 2026.

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