Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Allergy Plus by Pollen.com vs IQAir AirVisual | Air Quality

Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 4.8★ · Free to download · ⚠ stale 45
Winner IQAir AirVisual | Air Quality
IQAir AirVisual | Air Quality 4.8★ · Free to download 70

IQAir AirVisual is the better choice for comprehensive air quality and pollen data due to its reliability and absence of malicious ads, despite some minor functionality issues.

Full reviews: Allergy Plus by Pollen.com · IQAir AirVisual | Air Quality

Allergy Plus by Pollen.com provides useful allergy information but is plagued by severe issues with malware ads and frequent app loading failures. IQAir AirVisual offers broad air quality and pollen data, with users praising its accuracy and utility, though it also experiences occasional app crashes and widget problems.

Head to head

Information Accuracy & Scope edge: IQAir AirVisual | Air QualityR2R8R11R14
Allergy Plus by Pollen.com Allergy Plus users find its pollen forecasts helpful and accurate for managing their allergies, appreciating the detailed breakdowns of allergens R2R8R11. However, some users note inaccuracies for their specific location or wish for additional data like mold counts R14R18R44.
IQAir AirVisual | Air Quality IQAir AirVisual is widely praised for providing accurate and up-to-date information on air quality, which is crucial for users with asthma or those concerned about wildfires . Some users, however, report inaccuracies in weather forecasts or air quality readings for specific locations, or find the data to be outdated .
Reliability & Performance tieR2R6R15R21
Allergy Plus by Pollen.com A significant number of Allergy Plus users report severe reliability issues, including the app not loading data, getting stuck on loading screens, or stopping functioning entirely R6R15R21. The widget and Apple Watch app are also frequently cited as non-functional R2R27R38.
IQAir AirVisual | Air Quality IQAir AirVisual also faces reliability concerns, with users reporting the app crashing on launch or after updates R65. The Apple Watch complication and widgets are frequently noted as not working correctly R71. Some users also complain about delayed notifications for air quality changes .
User Experience & Ads edge: IQAir AirVisual | Air QualityR1R3R4R7
Allergy Plus by Pollen.com Allergy Plus is heavily criticized for its intrusive and malicious advertising. Users report frequent full-screen pop-up ads, some of which are difficult to close, and many lead to scam warnings about viruses or fraudulent charges R1R3R4R7. This significantly degrades the user experience and trust in the app.
IQAir AirVisual | Air Quality IQAir AirVisual generally provides a good user experience, with users finding it simple and informative . However, some recent reviews mention unclosable pop-ups asking to download other apps, which prevents app usage . There are also minor complaints about the difficulty in managing locations or the organization of the 'Resources' tab R69.
Support & Development tieR19R21R65R69
Allergy Plus by Pollen.com Users of Allergy Plus report issues with developer support, including a broken submission form for bug reports R19. The app also appears to be infrequently updated, with one user noting no updates in over a year R21.
IQAir AirVisual | Air Quality IQAir AirVisual users have reported issues with support, such as the support site being unreachable or feedback links leading to non-existent pages R65. Some long-standing bugs, like the inability to reorder locations, have not been fixed for years R69.
Pick Allergy Plus by Pollen.com if

You are primarily interested in pollen forecasts and are willing to tolerate frequent, intrusive, and potentially malicious ads, as well as significant app instability, for the core allergy information R2R8.

Pick IQAir AirVisual | Air Quality if

You need reliable and comprehensive air quality data, especially for managing conditions like asthma or monitoring wildfire smoke, and prefer an app with fewer issues related to malicious advertising .

Evidence note: The negative reviews for Allergy Plus are heavily skewed towards recent experiences with malicious advertising and app functionality issues, which significantly impact its overall score despite some positive feedback on its core information.

Frequently asked

Are these apps free to use?
Both Allergy Plus by Pollen.com and IQAir AirVisual | Air Quality are free to download and use, though Allergy Plus users report encountering numerous intrusive and scam-like ads within the free version R1R3R4R7.
Do these apps offer widgets or Apple Watch support?
Both apps aim to offer widgets and Apple Watch support, but users frequently report these features are broken or do not work consistently for Allergy Plus R2R27R38 and IQAir AirVisual R71.
Are the air quality readings accurate?
IQAir AirVisual is generally praised for its accurate air quality readings, especially for broader areas and major events like wildfires , though some users find local readings or weather forecasts inaccurate . Allergy Plus users find its pollen counts accurate for their needs R2R29, but some report discrepancies or missing specific local allergens R18R44.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 4/5 · US Exceptional App Broken Widget: It’s highly accurate very helpful as someone with extreme allergies. However the widget doesn’t work anymore and I need it for my healthcare which is very delicate and complex.
  2. [R8] Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 5/5 · US Very helpful: Allergy Plus is very useful in warning of conditions that may merit taking allergy meds. I use it daily in high pollen seasons. Thank you!
  3. [R11] Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 4/5 · US Omg: I have extreme allergies that affect my balance. So knowing exactly what to expect can save me unnecessary misery
  4. [R14] Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 4/5 · US Mold: I wish the app would forecast mold.
  5. [R6] Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 3/5 · US Love this app but it stopped working: Love this app but it stopped working when I tried loading it.
  6. [R15] Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 3/5 · US 5 stars if it worked consistently: Amazing informational app. Does exactly what I need and presents the info I need. Ads aren’t annoying either. What is frustrating is getting a notification from the app about an increase or decrease and almost every time I try to open the app to see details, there’s nothing, it just seems to be perpetually loading data. No matter WiFi or data or what situation I’
  7. [R21] Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 3/5 · US Stopped Functioning on 5/12/25 for no reason: Worked well until 5/12/25 when the daily pollen screen went blank and just spins, trying to load. The app hasn’t been updated on more than a year. Uninstalling/Reinstalling did not fix it. Moving on.
  8. [R1] Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 1/5 · US Scam Ad: Used Allergy Plus for a few days now, but I just got a “message” in the app that my iPhone had 8 viruses and that I should click the button to receive instructions on how to remove them before system degradation led to me losing my data (fear mongering!). I googled it and learned that it is almost certainly a scam and was sent as an ad via their ad network or something like that. Do NOT
  9. [R3] Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 3/5 · US Popup ad with every click: Information provided is solid but I received a popup ad every time I clicked on something, some without a clear way to close. I deleted the app and check the website instead, since I know how to block popup ads there. • 5 stars for information. • 1 star for functionality. • Average is 3 stars.
  10. [R4] Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 1/5 · US Displayed ads that are malware.: The app itself was fine, but it displayed malware ads, which means they aren’t controlling advertisers and malware ads are getting thru. Hence the poor rating. If you want a free allergy app, I’d look else where; maybe the paid version is ok, haven’t tried that.
  11. [R7] Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 1/5 · US App is Serving scam adds: I encountered a very concerning issue in the app. After clicking “View All,” I was shown a fake security warning claiming my iPhone had been hacked and instructing me to install a cleanup app from the App Store. This looks like a scam advertisement or malicious popup and seriously hurts trust in the app. Please review your ad providers and fix this immediately.
  12. [R19] Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 1/5 · US Great app, but broken: App seems to have become compromised by bogus ads claiming your phone got hacked. Attempted to submit a report to the developer, but their submission form is broken. Placing a review here since there wasn’t much else to do to warn other users or the app developer.
  13. [R65] IQAir AirVisual | Air Quality 5/5 · US It WAS great, now not working at all: I have been using IQair for a very long time, and found it very helpful. Now, it’s not working. It crashes as soon as I try to open the app. And the support site can’t be found. What’s going on?
  14. [R69] IQAir AirVisual | Air Quality 3/5 · US Reorder still broken: Broken for years. I order my home at the top and after app restart it’s at the bottom again. Maybe will be fixed in another 5 years from now but no guarantees.
  15. [R27] Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 3/5 · US Apple Watch app does not work: Apple Watch app continually says “No forecast available use the phone app to update your location. “ My phone app works fine. Location is recognized. I’m not the only one with this problem. I have reported this via support function.
  16. [R38] Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 2/5 · US Still need work: I really like this app, but the widget doesn’t work most of the time
  17. [R71] IQAir AirVisual | Air Quality 5/5 · US Widget malfunction: After the last update, the widget is not working correctly. · translated
  18. [R18] Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 3/5 · US Ok: Love the idea of this, but It needs more info for your location. Like we don’t even have walnut trees in my area. So why is it on my home page?
  19. [R29] Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 5/5 · US More accurate than others I’ve used: I can see why I’m feeling the pollen clearly! Other apps not nearly as good!
  20. [R44] Allergy Plus by Pollen.com 1/5 · US Not accurate at all: This app is terrible at reporting the pollen count. The local allergist is reporting pollen well into the upper ranges of extreme and my symptoms are through the roof. This app is reporting pollen at medium to medium-high range every day. It rarely changes. Useless

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store