Bright Notes vs smile
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bright Notes
Send kind messages to your future self and receive them later. This app helps you stay motivated and practice self-compassion with scheduled notifications and thoughtful prompts. Surprise yourself with positivity and support from your past self.
- Send messages to your future self
- Receive automatic motivational messages
- Customizable notification frequency and timing
- Themed message packs available for purchase
- Inspiration button for writing prompts
- View notification history
- Allow friends to add messages for you
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Write nice things to Future You and receive them in the future. Surprise yourself with kindness! BACKSTORY "Where did this idea come from?!" you ask. Well, I originally made this app for myself. I was using iOS Reminders to send my future self inspiring messages, but manually entering the dates was annoying. I just wanted to say nice stuff and my phone take care of planning/sending the notifications. So I made this app! This app has been transformational in keeping me buoyant. Like, I'll get a notification from Past Me telling me to drop my shoulders and realize "Oh. Yeah. I'm stressing out over nothing." Boom. Who was angsty five seconds ago but not right now? This guy. Bright Notes has been so useful for me that I made it into a full app to share with you. I hope it brightens your life! FEATURES * Say something nice to Future You; receive it in the future! (Duh) * No ads :) * Automatic messages from me to you! Just to ensure you're always getting some lovin'. (Prepare to be ambushed with strange, atypical motivational messages!) * Themed packs of Note to buy! All made with care and love. Stress, Physical Wellness, Mindfulness, and Challenges! * Customize how often and when you get notifications * Blast-Me-Tomorrow: Need an extra kick of love mañana? Toggle this on. * “Ahhh I don’t know what to write!!” That’s okay! Deep breaths, beautiful. The app has a button for ideas to get your kindness pump gushing. Sploosh! * You can write ANYthing to yourself. Seriously. Anything. You can use this app to send yourself a daily insult. Whatever you want. The world is your oyster. * View your notification history * Hand your device to a friend to add stuff for you! (This is a lot of fun, and always surprising.) This app has made an ongoing difference in my life, and I hope it does for you too. *** This app requires local notifications to be turned on. ***
smile
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A simple yet powerful app designed to uplift and motivate you. With just a tap of a button, you can generate a random affirmation from a curated list of positive and inspiring messages. You can also view the full list of affirmations. And with features like dark mode and email support, you can easily customize your experience and stay connected with us. Start smiling and start feeling great with "smile" today!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: smile at none against Bright Notes's 4. smile also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 94 months). Bright Notes's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Bright Notes sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. smile asks for nothing beyond the download.
Bright Notes ships an update every 94 months, smile monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bright Notes | smile |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (51 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 72.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 51 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 94 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 0 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BT Productions | Giorgio Network, LLC |
In-app purchases
Bright Notes
- The Stress Pack$1.99
- Note Pack - Physical Wellness$1.99
- The Mindfulness Pack$1.99
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- The Challenges Pack$1.99
smile
No in-app purchases









