Miles ApartMiles Apart vs Candle
Candle is a quick one-minute daily ritual for any couple, with a longer track record; Miles Apart is built around long distance, with more games, letters that travel the real distance, and a shared memory map. Both are on iPhone and Android.
Checked · By the Miles Apart team
The short answer
Pick Candle if you want the lightest possible daily habit, like the idea of Thumb Kisses, want local date ideas for couples who live near each other, or prefer an app with a longer track record. Pick Miles Apart if you're long distance and want more to do together: a daily challenge that reveals when you've both finished, 22 games for two, love letters that fly the real distance between you, and a shared memory map.
At a glance
- Built for
- Miles ApartLong-distance couples firstCandleAny couple: long distance, busy, or reconnecting
- Platforms
- Miles ApartiPhone and AndroidCandleiPhone and Android
- Price
- Miles ApartFree, with optional Miles Apart Pro. One subscription covers both partners.CandleFree, with Premium from $4.99/week ($12.99/month or $39.99 to $49.99/year)
- Daily ritual
- Miles ApartDaily challenge: three quick questions, a written answer and a photo prompt, revealed together once you've both finishedCandleOne-minute daily questions plus a daily photo prompt, then you unlock each other's answers
- Games
- Miles Apart22 games (daily word games, a mini crossword, trivia, photo jigsaws, ghost races) plus 14 couple quizzesCandleWho's More Likely, fast-paced Q&As and more
- Streaks
- Miles ApartShared streak that grows a plant through 13 stagesCandleShared streak with milestones
- Love letters
- Miles ApartLetters carried by a pigeon that flies the real distance between youCandleNot a headline feature in its App Store listing
- Shared memories
- Miles ApartPrivate memory map with photo pins, plus a Photo Booth strip you make togetherCandlePrivate photo journal built from daily photos
- Real-time touch
- Miles ApartHugs you press and hold, kisses, drawingsCandleThumb Kisses: tap together to feel a vibration
- Track record
- Miles ApartNew: launched on the App Store in August 2026 and on Google Play in September 2026CandleLaunched in 2025, with 11,000+ App Store ratings
Choose Miles Apart if
- You're long distance and want more than one minute a day to share: games, letters, a map of your trips.
- You're in different time zones and need rituals that work when you're not online together.
- You'd like one subscription to cover you both.
Choose Candle if
- You want the smallest possible daily habit, and the answers-plus-photo loop is all you need.
- You live near each other and want local date ideas that refresh weekly.
- You'd rather pick an app with a longer track record and thousands of reviews.
How the daily ritual compares
Both apps are built around a small daily habit. Candle frames it as one minute a day: swipe through a question, answer, and unlock your partner's reply, plus a daily photo prompt in the spirit of BeReal.
Miles Apart's daily challenge is a little bigger by design. You each answer three multiple-choice questions, one written question, and a photo prompt such as "show today's outfit". Nothing is visible until you've both finished, then it all reveals at once. For long-distance couples that reveal is the point: it turns two separate moments on two different clocks into one shared one.
What there is to do beyond the daily question
This is the biggest difference. Candle keeps things focused, with a handful of games like Who's More Likely. Miles Apart has 22 games for two, many of them daily and asynchronous (Guess the Word, Groups of 4, a mini crossword where you compare times, ghost races against your partner's run), plus quizzes like How Well Do You Know Me? and Would You Rather, and 11 Date Night conversation decks for calls or visits.
Miles Apart also has pieces made specifically for distance: letters carried by a pigeon that flies the real distance between your locations, a shared map where you pin trips and dates, countdowns to your next visit, and widgets that show your partner's daily photo or live drawing on your home screen.
Price, platforms and maturity
Candle is on iPhone and Android and has been around since 2025, with over 11,000 App Store ratings. Its Premium plan starts at $4.99 a week in the US App Store, with monthly and yearly options.
Miles Apart is on iPhone and Android too, and an iPhone user can pair with an Android user. It's new, though: it launched on the App Store in August 2026 and on Google Play in September 2026, so it has far fewer reviews. It's free to download, with an optional Pro subscription for every game and quiz level, and one subscription covers both of you.
Frequently asked questions
Is Miles Apart a good Candle alternative?
Yes, especially for long-distance couples. Both have a daily question-and-photo ritual and streaks, but Miles Apart adds 22 games, pigeon-delivered love letters, a shared memory map and visit countdowns. Good reasons to stay with Candle are its lighter one-minute format, Thumb Kisses and a longer track record. Both apps are on iPhone and Android.
Is Candle good for long-distance relationships?
Candle works for long-distance couples, and its Thumb Kisses feature is designed with distance in mind, but it's built for every kind of couple. If long distance is your main situation, an app with asynchronous games, letters and visit planning will give you more to share.
Can we use Miles Apart and Candle together?
You can. They don't conflict, and some couples keep one for a quick check-in and another for games and letters. Most find one daily ritual is enough, so try each for a week and keep the one you both actually open.
More comparisons
The best apps for long-distance couples
Every app worth knowing, by what it's best at.
The best Candle alternatives
6 apps to try instead, with prices and platforms.
Miles Apart vs Couple Joy
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