Comparison

Simon iO vs ideaShell

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

Head to head
About

Simon iO

Control your smart home devices, including lights and blinds, from anywhere. Receive notifications, schedule routines, and customize device functionalities like lighting levels and power control. This app enhances your iO universe with a world of possibilities.

Highlights
  • Configure iO devices and experiences
  • Control lights and blinds
  • Receive notifications
  • Schedule routines
  • Adjust lighting levels
  • Power control for devices
Features
Read full description

* [IMPORTANT] This application is only compatible with the new HUB PRO iO (installations from 2020) The Simon iO app allows you to easily configure this entire new iO universe: from the iO devices, to the desired experiences. Experiences that you can change as many times as you want, since the process is really simple. Control lights, blinds and weather from inside and outside the home, receive notifications and schedule schedules will also be possible from the Simon iO app. Increasing the functionalities of your iO devices such as soft lighting of lights, regulation levels, beacons, power off delay and power control will also be possible. In short, a world of possibilities that are now at your fingertips. For further information please contact with: sat@simon.es

About

ideaShell

Capture thoughts instantly with AI-powered voice notes. Transcribe, organize, and discuss ideas with AI to generate actionable content like to-do lists and summaries. Seamlessly integrate with other productivity apps.

Highlights
  • AI Voice Transcription
  • Automated Text Structuring & Optimization
  • Multiple Fast Entry Points (Watch, Siri, Widgets)
  • AI Discussions & Summaries
  • Smart Card Content Creation (To-Do Lists, Scripts)
  • Integration with Productivity Apps
  • Smart Q&A and Note Search
Features
Read full description

ideaShell is an AI-powered voice notes and AI assistant app that helps you quickly capture inspiration with your voice, organize your thoughts, and turn notes into action with AI agents. Whether you need voice-to-text transcription, meeting notes, a journal, reading reflections, class notes, or a place to capture fleeting ideas, ideaShell is your intelligent pocket memo and thinking companion. 【AI Voice-to-Text · Recording Notes Has Never Been Easier】 Record as naturally as you speak—AI automatically transcribes your voice into clearly structured notes. Available in dozens of languages with custom vocabulary for technical terms. AI removes filler words, optimizes formatting, and generates titles, summaries, and tags, giving you a polished note instantly. From meeting notes and class notes to reading reflections and spontaneous ideas, voice-to-text makes capturing anything effortless. 【Fast Capture · Save Every Idea from Anywhere】 Great ideas disappear in an instant. Capture them fast with Apple Watch, Siri, iPhone Action Button, Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets, Control Center, and Shortcuts. Type or draw by hand too. Import audio files, PDFs, Word, PowerPoint, or clip web content—all turned into organized notes with one tap. ideaShell is the voice recorder and notepad in your pocket. 【Enhanced Recording · More Than Transcription】 Mark key moments while recording. Add notes, take photos, import images or files during a recording. Once finished, one-tap AI note completion enriches your annotations with context from the recording. Ideal for meetings, classes, interviews, and more. 【AI Agent Assistant · Helps You Think and Get Things Done】 A powerful built-in AI agent that understands your notes. Select any note or folder for in-depth AI conversations, brainstorming, analysis, and online research. AI can also create, edit, find notes, manage to-dos, and plan your schedule. Switch between multiple AI models and use built-in guides and Playbooks. 【Content Generation · Create in Multiple Formats with One Tap】 AI generates PowerPoint, Word, Excel, web pages, mind maps, Markdown, and images from your notes. Work reports, proposals, email drafts, video scripts, to-do lists—create intelligently without starting from scratch. 【Publish and Share】 Publish notes, mind maps, web pages with a shareable link in one tap. Recipients can view and ask questions about the content. Export as PDF, Word, Markdown, images, or sync to Notion. 【Memory and Personal Knowledge Base · Understands You Better Over Time】 AI remembers key information from conversations including personal and contact details. All notes become your personal knowledge base—AI connects, searches, and answers across all your notes. Daily reviews and note recaps keep past recordings, journals, memos, and reflections delivering value. 【Connect Your Workflow】 Connect with Notion, access from messaging apps, and use MCP to let other AI products read and write your note data—seamlessly integrating into your productivity workflow. 【More Features】 Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac, with real-time syncing across devices. Organize content with folders and automatic tags, extract text from images, and record audio offline—all in one place for journals, memos, notes, voice recordings, to-dos, reading notes, and more. ideaShell — Never miss an idea Capture inspiration with your voice, accelerate your thinking with AI, and never let another idea slip away. Terms of Service:https://www.roundreddot.com/terms Privacy Policy:https://www.roundreddot.com/privacy

Screenshots

Simon iO4 screens
ideaShell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ideaShell at 76% against Simon iO's 29%. ideaShell also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.0) and ads (none vs shown). Simon iO's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12). On price, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ideaShell sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Simon iO asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ideaShell holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ideaShell has 586 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 29% of Simon iO's written reviews are positive against 76% of ideaShell's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simon iO ships an update every 3 months, ideaShell every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Simon iO versus ideaShell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimon iOideaShell
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings)4.7 (586 ratings) — better
Positive reviews28.6% of reviews76.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1586 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size91 MB201 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSimonRoundRedDot Inc

Customer experience

Simon iO

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive28.6%
Neutral14.3%
Negative57.1%

ideaShell

All ratings586 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral2.4%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews171 reviews
Positive76.0%
Neutral3.5%
Negative20.5%

Bugs and requests

Simon iO

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

ideaShell

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Constant phone vibration when using the app
  • AI message truncation - unable to see full responses
  • App impossible to open on iPhone 16 Pro
  • Vibration occurs even when idle on main screen
  • Recent update breaks note distinction by using identical AI summaries

Requested features

14 requests
  • Full web clipping functionality (articles, images, audio, videos)
  • Direct media file downloads from web content
  • Automatic Notion export integration
  • Web/Mac version for desktop editing
  • Text formatting options (bold, italics, font types)
Show 9 more
  • Dictionary for names and special words
  • WhatsApp integration
  • Semantic search capability
  • AI-powered note search and retrieval
  • Folder organization without master note list clutter
  • Editable reminder times and details before pushing
  • Increased image import limit
  • Writing and reading suggestions similar to Gemini AI
  • Community forum

In-app purchases

None

Simon iO

No in-app purchases

12 purchases

ideaShell

Subscriptions7
  • ideaShell Week Subscription$4.997 Days
  • Monthly Premium$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Premium Plus$12.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • Monthly Premium Max$39.991 Month
  • Annual Premium$79.991 Year
  • Annual Premium Plus$89.991 Year
  • Annual Premium Max$369.991 Year
One-time5
  • ideaShell Points(1M)$3.99
  • ideaShell Points(2M)$6.99
  • ideaShell Points(5M)$15.99
Show 2 more
  • ideaShell Points(10M)$29.99
  • Lifetime_Premium$99.99

Questions

Is Simon iO free?
Simon iO is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ideaShell free?
ideaShell is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Simon iO or ideaShell?
ideaShell is rated higher. Simon iO averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while ideaShell averages 4.7 from 586 ratings.
Do Simon iO or ideaShell have ads?
Simon iO shows ads; ideaShell does not.
Which is updated more often, Simon iO or ideaShell?
Simon iO ships an update every 3 months, and ideaShell every 10 days. Most recently, Simon iO was updated on September 26, 2026 and ideaShell on September 28, 2026.

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