# Bright Notes vs smile

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bright Notes | smile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (51 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bright-notes/id1346848935/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **51** | — |
| Positive reviews | 72.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 94 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 4 MB | 0 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [BT Productions](https://appshunter.io/developer/523453876) | [Giorgio Network, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1502611430) |

## What reviewers say

### Bright Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bright-notes/id1346848935)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Stress Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Note Pack - Physical Wellness | $1.99 | one-time |
| The Mindfulness Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| The Challenges Pack | $1.99 | one-time |


### smile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smile-affirmations/id1669905189)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bright Notes free?

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

### Is smile free?

smile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Bright Notes or smile have ads?

Neither Bright Notes nor smile shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bright Notes or smile?

Bright Notes ships an update every 94 months, and smile monthly. Most recently, Bright Notes was updated on November 2, 2026 and smile on November 7, 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.*