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Ciao! vs Embers
Embers: Stay in Touch, by William Alston
Each friend is an ember that glows when you reach out and slowly dims when you don’t, with notes, a “We talked” button and one notification a day at most.
1 rating in the US App Store, as of 15 October 2026. iPhone and iPad. Released in August 2026, with no update since.
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Ciao!
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Embers
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| What it costs | $9.99 a year after 7 days free, or $2.99 a week |
$12.99 a year after a 1-week free trial, $1.99 a month, or $34.99 once for lifetime |
| Free tier | None. The yearly plan starts with 7 days free | 3 people |
| Account needed | None | None |
| Where it runs | iPhone | iPhone and iPad |
| Where your notes live | Your phone and your own iCloud | Your phone only. You can export them as a file |
| A creature for each friend | 15 animals, 6 moods | An ember for each friend that glows and dims |
| Your notes | On each friend’s page. Set a reminder on one and it comes back that day | It shows your note again the next time |
| How it reminds you | A note on the evening someone is due, never more than one a day, and a look on Sunday at everyone who is due | One notification a day at most, at a time you choose |
| Languages | English, Italian, Spanish, French and German | English |
| A weekly swipe deck | Yes | No |
Every row comes from the Embers App Store listing and its support page, read on 15 October 2026. Ciao!’s prices were checked the same day. Nothing here is taken from another app’s reviews.
Sources: Embers on the App Store · the Embers support page
Where Embers wins
- •Three people free, for good, and a $34.99 lifetime price if you would rather pay once. Ciao! has no free tier and no lifetime plan.
- •It shows your last note again the next time, so you have something to say. In Ciao!, a note comes back only if you set a reminder on it, or when you open the friend’s page.
- •Lock screen widgets, an iPad app, and an App Store privacy label that says Data Not Collected. Ciao!’s label lists a few things, like purchases and usage counts.
Where Ciao! wins
- •$9.99 a year, against $12.99 for Embers Plus. Both start with a free week.
- •An animal with a face for each friend, and one deck on Sunday with everyone who is due. Swipe right when you’ve talked.
- •Your friends and notes are in your own iCloud too, so a new phone gets them back. Embers keeps everything on the one phone.
- •In English, Italian, Spanish, French and German. Embers is in English.
Which one should you actually get?
These two are very close: a living thing for each friend, a rhythm per person, notes, and no account. Get Embers if you want three people free, a lifetime price, or your last note in front of you every time. Get Ciao! if you would rather go through everyone on Sunday with a swipe, want your friends backed up in iCloud, or want the app in Italian, Spanish, French or German.
