Comparison

Impulse vs memoryOS

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

Head to head
About

Impulse

Enhance your cognitive abilities with personalized brain training games and puzzles. Discover your mental strengths and weaknesses through self-discovery tests, and track your progress over time to build a sharper mind.

Highlights
  • Personalized daily training plans
  • Memory & processing speed training
  • Attention & focus exercises
  • Mental math challenges
  • Problem-solving games
  • Cognitive profile discovery
  • IQ and personality tests
Features
Read full description

100+ million downloads 4.7 worldwide rating App of the Day in 50+ countries Train your brain. Discover yourself. Become sharper. Impulse is more than a brain training app — it's a complete toolkit for understanding how your mind works and building it into its strongest version. Struggle to stay focused? Forget things easily? Feel like your brain could do more? That’s where Impulse comes in. TRAIN WHAT YOUR BRAIN NEEDS MOST Impulse builds a personalized daily training plan tailored to the brain areas you need most: - Memory & Processing speed - Attention & focus - Mental math - Problem-solving Our science-inspired games are challenging enough to keep you progressing and simple enough to enjoy every day — at any age or skill level. DISCOVER YOUR COGNITIVE PROFILE Go deeper with a library of self-discovery tests that reveal how your mind truly works: - IQ tests & Cognitive strengths - Personality type and archetype insights - Emotional intelligence and self-awareness tests Each test comes with personalized recommendations so you know exactly which areas to focus on and how to grow. TRACK YOUR GROWTH - See your performance trends over time - Get actionable insights — not just scores - Stay motivated with streaks and progress reports WHY IMPULSE Most brain apps just give you games. Impulse also gives you deeper understanding of yourself. Train smarter and stay sharp for life. Join 100 million people worldwide who've made Impulse part of their daily routine. Impulse offers a 3-day free trial with full access to all games - no ads, no interruptions. If you choose to subscribe, the fee will be shown in the app before you complete the payment. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You may manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal at any time in your iTunes Account Settings. Terms of Service: https://brainimpulse.me/app/tos.html Privacy Policy: https://brainimpulse.me/app/privacy_policy.html Contact: support@brainimpulse.me

About

memoryOS

Enhance your memory and focus with interactive lessons and a virtual mind palace game. Learn scientifically proven techniques to improve knowledge retention and recall a wide range of information, from names and numbers to complex data and entire books.

Highlights
  • Interactive bite-sized lessons
  • Virtual Mind Palaces game
  • Spaced repetition system
  • Scientifically proven techniques
  • Improve knowledge retention
  • Memorize diverse information
Features
Read full description

memoryOS contains interactive bite-sized lessons by a 2X World Memory Champion and an educational 3D game of Virtual Mind Palaces - all in one easy-to-use app. It utilizes scientifically proven memory techniques, spaced repetition and patented game mechanics to enhance long-term memory storage and improve knowledge retention. memoryOS is loved by 500,000+ people worldwide because it is a whole new, joyful & game-changing tool for obtaining the most effective memorization skills. Co-founded by Jonas von Essen, who went from struggling to remember to becoming a World Memory Champion, winning on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, "Jeopardy, and setting a world record by memorizing 100,000 decimals of Pi . memoryOS app has over 18k public worldwide ratings on Apple and Google app stores combined, averaging 4.8 stars. Users also continue adding 5-star reviews daily, sharing how effective and life-changing memoryOS has been for them. Also, memoryOS remains the most crowdfunded app in Kickstarter’s history. Memorization is as important as reading and writing and should be taught as our base skill. Our mission is to enable millions of people to remember needed information easily. With memoryOS, you will learn how to memorize: - Names, Long speeches, Lists of items, Birthdays, Personal facts, Passwords, Trivia, Languages, Vocabulary and phrases, Countries and Capitals, Flags, Historical timeline, Numbers, Periodic table - Content of complete books, Dates of significant events, Complex data structures, Concepts, and figures - Art, Anatomy, Decks of cards, Advanced number systems; Long sequences of numbers, Binary Digits You will also learn: - How to keep track of years, months, weeks, and days - Advanced study techniques, Spaced Repetition system, Speed memorization Why did Google Brands Accelerator recognize memoryOS as being 'Light Years Ahead' in the memory space? • memoryOS delivers results: During our pre-launch phase, thousands of users completed our demo and, on average, had a 70% increase in recall and a 60% increase in recall speed just after the first ~40min session. • Providing your mind with structured storage space: We have spent tens of thousands of hours creating and optimizing our Virtual Mind Palaces, so you don’t have to spend months constructing your own the hard way. These virtual palaces serve as blueprints for your mind's storage space, allowing you to easily encode, store and recall like a memory champion. • A proven innovative approach that works: During our research and development stage, thousands of people of all age groups and even those with difficult medical conditions found memoryOS as an effective and useful tool. Actual results exceeded our team’s expectations. • Gamified edtech at its best: memoryOS has proven to work on people with no prior gaming experience - anyone can use it. Utilizing the power of the Unity game engine, memoryOS is widely accessible on all mobile and tablet devices and is soon coming to VR. -- Joining memoryOS is free. This provides extensive value on the free plan, and you are not obligated to pay to start using it. You can subscribe to a Student Premium plan for as low as $3.49/month when billed annually or $4.99/month when billed monthly (it can be 10-20% higher in some countries due to local taxes). You can subscribe through the 'Shop' section of the memoryOS app and find the above-mentioned or go to your App Store app's profile and choose a desired plan there. Recurring payments will automatically renew unless you cancel your account at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. You can manage your subscription, cancel anytime, or turn off auto-renewal by accessing your iTunes account. Join the memoryOS community of over 500,000+ early adopters who share this memorable journey! -- Terms: memoryOS.com/terms Privacy policy: memoryOS.com/privacy-policy Learn more at: memoryOS.com Contact us: support@memoryOS.com

Screenshots

Impulse4 screens
memoryOS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: memoryOS at none against Impulse's shown. memoryOS also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (80% vs 70%). Impulse's advantage is ratings volume (851K vs 17K) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). On price, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Impulse sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and memoryOS sells 23 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

memoryOS holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Impulse has 851K ratings behind it against 17K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Impulse's written reviews are positive against 80% of memoryOS's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Impulse ships an update weekly, memoryOS every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 19, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Impulse versus memoryOS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterImpulsememoryOS
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (851K ratings)4.9 (17K ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.5% of reviews80.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings851K — better17K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#15 — better#57
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.2 — better
Further details — not scored
Size265 MB248 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGMRD Apps LimitedEncoder Inc.

Customer experience

Impulse

All ratings851,132 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral3.3%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews7,598 reviews
Positive69.5%
Neutral3.8%
Negative26.6%

memoryOS

All ratings16,799 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral1.0%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews1,691 reviews
Positive80.4%
Neutral4.8%
Negative14.8%

User reviews

Impulse

From 851K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Engaging and fun brain games
  • 🧠 Helpful for improving focus, memory, and cognitive abilities
  • 📈 Tracks progress and compares to peers
  • 🧘‍♀️ Relaxing and calming experience
  • 🏆 Motivating to improve scores and skills

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model, with limited free access
  • 🤖 Misleading ads and paywalls for test results
  • 🙄 Excessive ads and upselling in free version
  • 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription
  • 🤨 Questionable accuracy of personality/IQ tests

memoryOS

From 17K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Effective memory techniques
  • 👍 Interactive and engaging
  • 💡 Innovative use of memory palaces
  • 🤩 Impressive results in a short time
  • 🎉 Fun and enjoyable to use

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
  • 🤔 Confusing navigation and UI
  • 🔒 Lack of transparency around pricing
  • 🙄 Aggressive upselling and marketing tactics

Bugs and requests

Impulse

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inconsistent progress tracking and level completion
  • Crashes and freezes, especially on older devices
  • Subscription issues and unexpected charges

Requested features

5 requests
  • More varied and challenging brain games
  • Personalized training plans based on user needs
  • Family sharing and multi-user support
  • Better integration of test results and game performance
  • Improved night mode and accessibility features

memoryOS

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Login issues and account management problems
  • Frequent crashes and app instability
  • Navigation and UI elements not working as expected
  • Syncing issues between devices and lost progress
  • Connectivity problems when using cellular data

Requested features

5 requests
  • More free content and lessons
  • Ability to create custom memory palaces
  • Better progress tracking and analytics
  • Integration with other learning/productivity apps
  • Offline mode for lessons and memory palaces

In-app purchases

14 purchases

Impulse

Subscriptions13
  • ImpulsePRO [7 days]3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Premium Access3 Days trial$6.997 Days
  • Premium Access$6.997 Days
Show 10 more
  • Premium Access$7.997 Days
  • Premium Access3 Days trial$7.997 Days
  • ImpulsePRO [1 week]3 Days trial$9.997 Days
  • ImpulsePRO [1 month, 25% off]3 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Premium Access$15.991 Year
  • Premium Access$24.991 Year
  • Premium Access$28.991 Year
  • PRO [1 year, special offer]$29.491 Year
  • ImpulsePRO [52 weeks]$29.991 Year
  • Premium Access$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Access$49.99
23 purchases

memoryOS

Subscriptions20
  • Student Weekly Plan$3.997 Days
  • Student Monthly Plan7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Expert Weekly Plan7 Days trial$6.997 Days
Show 17 more
  • Essential Weekly Plan7 Days trial$6.997 Days
  • Essential Monthly Plan7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Essential Monthly Plan2 variants$14.991 Month
  • Essential Monthly Plan$16.991 Month
  • Student 3 Months Plan$19.993 Months
  • Expert Monthly Plan$24.991 Month
  • Expert Monthly Plan$29.991 Month
  • Expert 3 Months Plan7 Days trial$49.993 Months
  • Expert 3 Months Plan$69.993 Months
  • Expert 6 Months Plan7 Days trial$89.996 Months
  • Essential Annual Plan1 Month trial$89.991 Year
  • Essential Annual Plan7 Days trial3 variants$89.991 Year
  • Essential Annual Plan14 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • Expert Annual Plan7 Days trial$148.991 Year
  • Expert Annual Plan1 Month trial$149.991 Year
  • Expert Annual Plan7 Days trial$174.991 Year
  • Expert Annual Plan1 Month trial$174.991 Year
One-time3
  • 10 Hearts$0.99
  • 10 Loci Coins$2.99
  • 50 Loci Coins$14.99

Questions

Is Impulse free?
Impulse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is memoryOS free?
memoryOS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Impulse or memoryOS?
memoryOS is rated higher. Impulse averages 4.7 out of 5 from 851K ratings, while memoryOS averages 4.9 from 17K ratings.
Do Impulse or memoryOS have ads?
Impulse shows ads; memoryOS does not.
Which is updated more often, Impulse or memoryOS?
Impulse ships an update weekly, and memoryOS every 2 weeks. Most recently, Impulse was updated on October 19, 2026 and memoryOS on October 19, 2026.
Which is more popular, Impulse or memoryOS?
Impulse currently peaks at #15 in the App Store charts, and memoryOS at #57. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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