# Ikiru vs Purelist

The clearest difference is price: Purelist at Free against Ikiru's $4.99. Purelist also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.9) and review sentiment (75% vs 54%). Ikiru's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and iOS requirement (11.1 vs 16.0). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Purelist is free to download; Ikiru costs $4.99 up front. Purelist sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month. Ikiru asks for nothing beyond the download.

Purelist holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 101 and 41 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Ikiru's written reviews are positive against 75% of Purelist's.

Ikiru ships an update every 3 weeks, Purelist fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on August 30, 2026 and June 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ikiru | Purelist |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.9 (101 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ikiru/id1111565046/reviews) | **[4.6 (41 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/purelist-notes-and-tasks/id1549367431/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **101** | 41 |
| Positive reviews | 54.2% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 62 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.1** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [James Rhoades](https://appshunter.io/developer/359564371) | [Shintaro Miyake](https://appshunter.io/developer/1549367433) |

## What reviewers say

### Ikiru

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ikiru/id1111565046)

Organize your life with this versatile app for creating lists, taking notes, and setting reminders. It helps you focus on what's important with a beautiful, user-friendly design and powerful features like nested lists and due dates.

**Highlights:** Create nested lists, Set due dates and reminders, Add photos to list items, Sort list items dynamically, Sync data via iCloud, Protect data with Touch ID/passcode, View items on Apple Watch

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Stable and reliable
- 👍 Useful for organizing lists and notes
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Syncs well across devices
- 👍 Handy for tracking tasks and reminders

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sync issues and data loss
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs after updates
- 🔍 Limited search functionality
- 💡 Lack of formatting options
- 💡 Monochrome icons not as visually appealing

**Reported bugs**

- Reminders not working properly
- Syncing issues causing data loss
- Crashes after iOS updates
- Inability to disable Face ID lock

**Requested features**

- Add more formatting options (bold, italic, etc.)
- Improve search to allow searching within sublists
- Provide more customization options for themes and icons
- Add location-based reminders
- Implement better backup and restore functionality


### Purelist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/purelist-notes-and-tasks/id1549367431)

This app helps organize thoughts and manage tasks with a minimalist approach. It focuses on core functionality for productivity, offering features like sorting, widgets, and indentation. An optional Pro version unlocks advanced features like reminders and iCloud sync.

**Highlights:** Free item sorting, Home screen widget, Mark important items, Indentation for outlines, Search by item, Swipe to complete/delete, Add item descriptions

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Purelist Pro for Students | $0.49 | per month |
| Purelist Pro | $0.99 | per month |
| Purelist Pro for Students | $4.99 | per year |
| Purelist Pro | $9.99 | per year |
| Purelist Pro for Students | $24.99 | one-time |
| Purelist Pro | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ikiru free?

Ikiru costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Purelist free?

Purelist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Ikiru or Purelist?

Purelist is rated higher. Ikiru averages 3.9 out of 5 from 101 ratings, while Purelist averages 4.6 from 41 ratings.

### Do Ikiru or Purelist have ads?

Neither Ikiru nor Purelist shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ikiru or Purelist?

Ikiru ships an update every 3 weeks, and Purelist fortnightly. Most recently, Ikiru was updated on August 30, 2026 and Purelist on June 10, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*