Comparison
A Candle alternative for couples
Candle is the newest app here. It reached the App Store in 2025 and has grown quickly by getting one idea right: a couple will do almost anything that takes a minute. Each day it offers questions to swipe through, a photo prompt in the style of BeReal but only for the two of you, and short games such as Who’s More Likely. A streak keeps count.
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It also has Thumb Kisses, where you both tap the screen at the same moment and feel a vibration, and a beta feature that suggests date ideas near you. Its listing describes it as ad-free. If a daily one-minute ritual is what you are after, Candle does that as well as anyone.
HeartTap overlaps with Candle on questions, photos and streaks, and differs in where those things show up. Candle’s photos build a journal inside the app. HeartTap’s go to a widget on your partner’s home screen, so the photo is seen without anything being opened. HeartTap also has a live shared drawing canvas and a three-prompt daily check-in, and has no games.
Feature by feature
| Feature | HeartTap | Candle |
|---|---|---|
| Questions for couples | 2000+ in categories, pick any | Yes, swipe through and unlock your partner’s answer |
| Daily photo prompt | No prompt; post a photo or video whenever you like | Yes, for the two of you |
| Where photos appear | On your partner’s home and lock screen widget | In a private photo journal in the app |
| Games | Not a feature of the app | Yes, such as Who’s More Likely |
| Thumb Kisses | No | Yes |
| Live shared drawing canvas | Yes, both drawing at once | Not a feature of the app |
| Streaks | Yes, with levels | Yes |
| iPhone and Android | Both | Both |
| Price | Free with optional subscription | Check the current store listing |
Competing apps change quickly. This describes each app’s core positioning as of October 2026, and the feature the comparison turns on rather than an exhaustive audit. Check the current store listing before deciding.
Pick Candle if
- You want a one-minute daily ritual with a clear thing to do each day.
- Games and a daily photo prompt appeal more than an open-ended widget.
- Thumb Kisses, or date ideas near you, are the features you would actually use.
Pick HeartTap if
- You want photos and drawings on the home screen, not only inside an app.
- Drawing together live is something you would do.
- You want to post when you feel like it, without a daily prompt.
A note on how this is written
We make HeartTap, so this is not a neutral review and you should not read it as one. What we have tried to do instead is be specific about what Candle is genuinely better at, since a comparison page that concludes the author’s own product wins on every row is not telling you anything. If you want the wider view, the best couple widget apps page covers the category, and cross-platform support is worth checking for whichever app you pick.
The HeartTap feature this turns on
The status widget
Photos, video, drawings or a colour with a caption, on their home and lock screen.
Frequently asked questions
What is Candle?
A couples app built around one-minute daily rituals: questions, a photo prompt and short games, with a streak. It reached the App Store in 2025 and is on both iPhone and Android.
What is the main difference between HeartTap and Candle?
Where things appear. Candle keeps your answers and photos in the app. HeartTap sends your photo, video or drawing to a widget on your partner’s home screen, so they see it without opening anything. Candle has games and photo prompts, and HeartTap has a shared drawing canvas and a daily check-in.
Does HeartTap have Thumb Kisses?
No. HeartTap has nothing that works by touch. The nearest thing is the live shared canvas, where you watch each other’s strokes appear as they are drawn.
Can we use both?
Yes, though they compete for the same minute of your day. If you already keep a streak in one, adding a second daily habit tends to end with one of them dropped.
Put them on your home screen tonight
Free to download on iPhone and Android. Link with your partner in under a minute, then send your first photo, drawing or check-in.