How the tags work
Every app in App Front wears the same tag, in four parts. Each part answers one question, and opens to show the facts behind the answer, picked from the same short lists for every app, so you can compare them at a glance.
- Good for you
- Worth knowing
- Think it over
A part's mark is the least good of its facts, so a closed tag never hides a catch: if anything inside is worth thinking over, the part says so.
CostWhat will it cost me?
Price
- Free
- Free to use, with nothing to buy.
- Free, optional extras
- Everything works for free; you can pay for something extra if you want to.
- Pay once
- One payment, then it is yours to keep using.
- Subscription
- A regular payment, monthly or yearly, for as long as you use it.
- Lease
- You pay to use it for a fixed time, then it stops unless you renew.
- Pay as you go
- You pay only for what you use, usually with credit you top up.
Ads
- No ads
- No adverts, anywhere.
- Ads, can remove
- Shows adverts unless you pay to remove them.
- Has ads
- Shows adverts.
ConvenienceHow easy is it to start, and to keep using?
Install
- From a link
- Open it from a link and add it to your home screen. No app store, no store account.
- Link or app store
- Install it from a link, or from an app store if you prefer.
Works on
- Phone, tablet and computer
- The same app on any phone, tablet or computer, with nothing else to buy or install.
- Phones and tablets
- Made for phones and tablets; it opens on a computer but isn't designed for one.
- Computers
- Made for a computer with a keyboard; small screens are hard work.
Account
- No account
- No sign-up. Open it and start.
- Account optional
- Works without one; signing up adds something, like keeping your progress and using the app on multiple devices.
- Account for some
- Some features of the app need an account, and others don't.
- Account needed
- You have to sign up to use it.
Offline
- Works offline
- Once installed, it works with no internet connection.
- Partly offline
- Some things work offline; others need a connection.
- Needs internet
- Needs a connection to work.
Updates
- Updates itself
- New versions arrive on their own. Nothing to download, ever.
- Updates itself, with your OK
- New versions arrive on their own, and switch over when you say, so nothing changes mid-task.
PrivacyWho sees what I put in, and can I take it back?
Your data
- Stays on your device
- What you put in is kept on your phone or computer and never sent anywhere.
- Cloud, encrypted
- Kept online, but locked in your browser first, so the service can't read it.
- Stored in the cloud
- Kept on the maker's servers, where they can read it.
- Shared with a service
- Some of what you enter is sent to another company's service to make the app work.
Tracking
- No tracking
- Doesn't report anything about how you use it.
- Anonymous counts
- Sends counts that can't be tied to you, with no cookies.
- Usage analytics
- Records how you use it, which may be tied to your device.
Asks for
- Nothing
- Doesn't ask to use anything on your device.
- Microphone, Notifications…
- Names what it may ask for. Web apps can only ask when you need that feature, and your browser lets you say no.
Leaving
- Take it with you
- You can download what you put in, and leave whenever you like.
- Nothing to take
- It doesn't keep anything of yours.
- Can't take it out
- There is no way to download what you put in.
FootprintWhat does it take from my device?
Download
- Up to 5 MB
- A small download: seconds, even on a phone connection.
- 5 to 50 MB
- A medium download; best on Wi-Fi.
- Over 50 MB
- A big download; use Wi-Fi.
Space
- Takes little space
- Uses a few megabytes at most.
- Grows as you use it
- Starts small and keeps more as you choose to use it offline.
- Takes a lot of space
- Keeps a lot on your device.
How we check
Each tag is checked against the app itself, not just what its maker says, and dated. Download sizes are measured from the app's own build. When an app changes how it charges, stores data or reports usage, its tag changes too.