# Canary Mail vs Kept Notes

The clearest difference is price: Canary Mail at Free against Kept Notes's $3.99. Canary Mail also leads on rating (4.5 vs 2.0) and ratings volume (8.8K vs 3). Kept Notes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 15) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On review sentiment, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Canary Mail is free to download; Kept Notes costs $3.99 up front. Canary Mail sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Kept Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Canary Mail holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Canary Mail has 8.8K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 51% and 50% positive.

Canary Mail ships an update fortnightly, Kept Notes weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Canary Mail | Kept Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[4.5 (8.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/canary-mail-ai-email/id1155470386/reviews)** | [2.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kept-notes/id6768974473/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **8.8K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **50.6% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Paid |
| Size | 177 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cartasec Pte. Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1137358501) | [Eric Gillis](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896620091) |

## What reviewers say

### Canary Mail

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/canary-mail-ai-email/id1155470386)

This app unifies multiple email accounts into a single inbox, offering AI assistance for drafting, replying, and summarizing messages. It includes features like read receipts, email tracking, and advanced organizational tools to streamline your communication.

**Highlights:** Unified inbox for multiple accounts, AI Copilot for drafting and summarizing, Read receipts and email tracking, Smart email sorting and bulk cleaning, Email scheduling and 1-click unsubscribe, PGP encryption and threat protection

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Wallet, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Canary Pro | $2.99 | per month |
| Canary Pro (Apple Bundle) | $4.99 | per month |
| Canary Pro | $19.99 | per year |
| Canary Pro Growth(Year Single) | $19.99 | per year |
| Canary Pro | $29.99 | per year |
| Canary Pro (Apple Bundle) | $34.99 | per year |
| Canary Growth (Yearly Bundle Trial) | $35.99 | per year |
| Canary Pro Growth(Year Bundle) | $35.99 | per year |
| Canary Pro (Apple Bundle) | $49.00 | per year |
| Canary Mail | $9.99 | one-time |
| Canary Mail Pro (Upgrade) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Canary Mail Pro (New) | $19.99 | one-time |
| Canary Pro Lifetime | $59.99 | one-time |
| Canary Pro Lifetime Bundle | $99.99 | one-time |
| Canary Growth(Lifetime Bundle) | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 🚀 Fast email processing
- 🔒 Robust security and encryption features
- 💡 Useful AI-powered features (e.g. email summarization)
- 👍 Seamless cross-device syncing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent performance and reliability issues
- 🐛 Bugs with email deletion, drafts, and notifications
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 👎 Confusing pricing model and paywall for core features
- 👎 Lack of basic customization options (e.g. signature, font size)

**Reported bugs**

- Emails not fully loading or displaying correctly
- Sync issues across devices
- Unreliable notification behavior
- Unexpected account sign-outs

**Requested features**

- Ability to select multiple emails for bulk actions
- Option to disable email categorization/sorting
- Improved integration with calendar and contacts
- Undo/restore deleted emails
- Customizable email signatures


### Kept Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kept-notes/id6768974473)

Capture thoughts, create checklists, and manage files with a private, self-hosted notes app. Enjoy smart capture powered by local AI and organize with labels and reminders. Your data stays yours.

**Highlights:** Self-hosted data control, Apple Intelligence-powered Smart Capture, Create text, image, and drawing notes, Organize with labels and colors, Set reminders, Import/Export notes, File attachments

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Canary Mail free?

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

### Is Kept Notes free?

Kept Notes costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Canary Mail or Kept Notes?

Canary Mail is rated higher. Canary Mail averages 4.5 out of 5 from 8.8K ratings, while Kept Notes averages 2.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Canary Mail or Kept Notes have ads?

Neither Canary Mail nor Kept Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Canary Mail or Kept Notes?

Canary Mail ships an update fortnightly, and Kept Notes weekly. Most recently, Canary Mail was updated on October 24, 2026 and Kept Notes on October 13, 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.*