Comparison

Forward vs Anytype

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Forward

Capture ideas and tasks to be delivered to you at a future date, up to a week in advance. This app acts as a rapid note-taking tool and a time-independent reminder system.

Highlights
  • Quickly capture ideas
  • Schedule notes for future dates
  • Set reminders up to a week ahead
  • Time-independent reminders
  • Rapid note taking
Features
Read full description

Have a thought you don't need right now? Email it to your future self. forward is part rapid note-taker, part time-shifted reminder. Type what's on your mind, pick the day it matters - now, tomorrow, or any day this week - and it lands in your inbox that morning. All of a day's notes arrive gathered into a single email: one tidy list, not ten pings. Your inbox is the one list you already check - forward simply puts things there on time. WHY IT WORKS • Capture instantly - open the app and type; your note is one tap from sent. • Share from anywhere - push links, text, and ideas into forward from any app. • Schedule by day - notes for the same day travel together, in one email. • Forget on purpose - write it tonight, see it Thursday morning, think about it never in between. NEW IN 1.7 • Dark Mode - follows your system theme, or stays dark for good. • Sign in with your email - no usernames to remember. • More dependable scheduled delivery. A SMALL APP WITH A LONG STORY forward began as a weekend project by Dan Hopwood of drivn.co - an app called Jot, born in 2014. We used it every single day, so when it shut down in January 2017, we bought it and brought it back, renamed for what it does: pushing notes forward to the day you need them. We've been emailing our future selves ever since.

About

Anytype

This app unifies conversations, documents, notes, files, and databases into a single, private application. It offers powerful, local-first collaboration with end-to-end encryption, offline access, and secure cross-device syncing, ensuring your data always remains yours.

Highlights
  • Unified workspace for conversations, docs, notes, files, and databases
  • End-to-end encrypted and offline accessible
  • Local-first collaboration
  • Create and edit pages with blocks
  • Define custom content types
  • Publish content to the web
  • Manage lists and tasks with properties
Features
Read full description

Anytype is a private, offline-first workspace for notes, docs, tasks, and team collaboration — end-to-end encrypted, with your data stored on your device. No accounts mining your thoughts, no cloud lock-in. A safe haven for your digital life. Flexible Knowledge Anytype adapts to the way your brain works, allowing you to link anything to everything. Create a living map of your ideas. • Capture & Reflect: Rich-media notes, long-form docs, and daily journals. • Plan & Execute: Tasks and projects in Kanban boards, calendars, galleries, and filtered lists. • Organize & Archive: Build personal wikis, research databases, or curated bookmark libraries. Secure Collaboration Collaborate in real-time without surrendering your privacy. You can work offline, sync peer-to-peer, or run entirely on your own network. • Private Collaboration: Shared spaces for teams and family to work together. • Integrated Chat: Chat with friends or have discussions directly on documents. • Share Online: Web publish content so others can access it directly in the browser. Uncompromising Security & Privacy • End-to-End Encrypted: Only you and those you share with can access your data. No exceptions. • Works Offline: No internet? No problem. Access everything offline, use peer-to-peer sync, or run on your own network. • Open Source: Keep your software forever or take your data with you. Zero lock-in. Also available on desktop at anytype.io Anytype — a safe haven for your thoughts, your work, and the people you collaborate with.

Screenshots

Forward4 screens
Anytype4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Anytype at Free against Forward's $4.99. Anytype also leads on ratings volume (252 vs 5). Forward's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 64%) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Anytype is free to download; Forward costs $4.99 up front. Anytype sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Forward asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Forward holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Anytype has 252 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Forward's written reviews are positive against 64% of Anytype's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Forward ships an update every 2 weeks, Anytype fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Forward versus Anytype: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterForwardAnytype
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (5 ratings) — better4.5 (252 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better63.8% of reviews
Number of ratings5252 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB274 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperwestlinkAny Association

Customer experience

Forward

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Anytype

All ratings245 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral5.3%
Negative9.0%
Written reviews138 reviews
Positive63.8%
Neutral13.8%
Negative22.5%

Bugs and requests

Forward

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Anytype

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes and freezes on certain devices
  • Sync issues leading to data loss or duplication
  • Inconsistent behavior when working with nested lists
  • Page jumps and cursor positioning problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add calendar and scheduling features
  • Improve mobile app performance and stability
  • Implement formulas and automation capabilities
  • Allow more customization options for fonts and UI
  • Add widgets for quick access to notes and data

In-app purchases

None

Forward

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Anytype

Subscriptions2
  • Pro$9.991 Month
  • Builder$119.001 Year

Questions

Is Forward free?
Forward costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Anytype free?
Anytype is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Forward or Anytype?
Forward is rated higher. Forward averages 5.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Anytype averages 4.5 from 252 ratings.
Do Forward or Anytype have ads?
Neither Forward nor Anytype shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Forward or Anytype?
Forward ships an update every 2 weeks, and Anytype fortnightly. Most recently, Forward was updated on October 29, 2026 and Anytype on October 30, 2026.

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