Versus.com is a simplistic and efficient website for comparing two products, services or places etc. by listing their strong suits side-by-side. So far, only a web-based service was available for this purpose, but Versus has recently launched an Android app for the users looking to avail the same service on their smartphones as well.
The Android app retains its counterpart web application’s “Top Reasons” methodology for comparison but also introduces an intuitive scrolling set-up to view the content. On the main screen, user can enter the names of any two similar products and hit “Compare” button. On the results screen, users will see the two products side by side and a side-ways scroll can take user to the list of qualities that respective products holds over the other one.
The app supports a huge database of products and places to compare that range from smartphones, tablets, CPUs, watches and consoles to cities and universities. Since the app accesses the database from its web source, everything that can be compared on the website is also available for comparison on mobile app. It results in an app size of a mere 2 mega-bytes but it also means that the app uses an internet connection, and cannot be used offline.
Users can also add the reasons for preferring one product/place/service over the other by pulling down on the list of a specific product. This sometimes results in sub-par and inaccurate comparison points but fortunately they can also be down-voted to oblivion.
While the app does provide a simple solution for the comparison of X and Y on the go on your smartphone’s screen, it is still not perfect, unfortunately. Since it is only a head-to-head, spec-for-spec comparator, you’ll find that quality takes a back-seat in the comparisons over quantity, e.g. iPhone 5s’ 64-bit processor will be ranked inferior because of its lower CPU clock speed despite its supreme real-life performance. You can even do some unusual comparisons like London vs. Galaxy Note 3, and the app won’t stop you!
Hence, we’d advise anyone who uses this app to do some extra research on the side as well and not to take everything the app mentions for a real-life measure of how superior that product will be.
With that explanation out of the way, we do love the app’s simple and intuitive user-interface and for its face-value, it sure is a great direct-comparison tool for everyone.
Versus | Free | User rating: 4.5/5.0 (203 votes) | Our rating: 7.3/10
Onto the 4th Cycle: Plan9 Holds Launchpad Lahore