Comparison

Ikes vs Zavala

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

Head to head
About

Ikes

Capture and organize text or image ideas with a dynamic feed. Intelligent search and discovery help you find inspiration and make unexpected connections. Syncs seamlessly across devices and prioritizes your privacy.

Highlights
  • Quick capture for text and images
  • Dynamic Idea Feed for discovery
  • Tag, source, and color organization
  • Intelligent search by meaning
  • Automatic idea discovery
  • Shuffle for serendipity
  • iCloud sync across devices
Read full description

Ikes is not your ordinary note app. It's built for capturing ideas and finding them again — fast. Got an idea? Read a great quote? Snapped a page from a book? Just throw it all into Ikes. Text, images, and links drop into a single feed, and you add tags, sources, and sparkles to whatever matters. Later, filters and search bring anything back in seconds. Now with a new unified export: send your whole library — or just the ideas matching your current filter — out as TXT, CSV, TSV, JSON, or YAML. JSON and YAML are designed for AI and RAG workflows, ready to drop straight into your pipeline. - Save text, images, and links instantly, with tags, sources, and sparkles. - Works inside Safari, X/Twitter, book readers, and other apps via the share extension. - Filter bar, tag/source browsers, and full-text search surface what you need. - Shuffle and random idea views bring forgotten ideas back to the top. - iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac — included for free. - Place your favorite quotes on your Home Screen with widgets. [ Premium features ] - Intelligent Search — semantic search across your entire idea feed. - Intelligent Discovery — surface related ideas you had forgotten. - Unified Export to TXT / CSV / TSV / JSON / YAML (Export All or Export Filtered). - Text recognition (OCR) on captured images — perfect for reading physical books. - Filter which ideas appear in widgets. - Custom color schemes and app icons. [ Ikes at a glance ] - Free iCloud sync - Text, images, and links with tags, sources, and sparkles - Share extension for 3rd-party apps - Filter bar + tag cloud - Shuffle / random view - Home Screen widgets - Dark mode - Universal: iPhone, iPad, and Mac

About

Zavala

This app offers a modern approach to outlining, providing a full suite of features. It supports gestures, keyboard shortcuts, and multiple windows for efficient organization and content creation. Easily import and export in various formats, sync across devices, and customize your outlining experience.

Highlights
  • OPML Import & Export
  • Markdown Export
  • iCloud Syncing & Sharing
  • Nested Tags
  • Image Embedding
  • Keyboard Shortcuts
  • Drag and Drop
Features
Read full description

Zavala is a modern take on a traditional outliner. It is a full featured app. It takes full advantage of your device by leveraging gestures, keyboard shortcuts, and multiple windows. Other features: * OPML import & export * Markdown import & export * HTML import & export * iCloud syncing * iCloud sharing with other iCloud users * Encrypted outlines and encrypted iCloud sync * Nested Tags for organizing Outlines * Support for embedding images * Print support * Drag and drop * Text formatting * Links * Completed items * Notes * Customizable fonts and sizes * Backlinks * Shortcuts support * Web clipper share extension * Typewriter scrolling * Automatic row numbering including Decimal and Legal numbering

Screenshots

Ikes4 screens
Zavala2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Zavala at none against Ikes's 1. Ikes's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Ikes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Zavala asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Ikes against 4.8 for Zavala. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 31 and 70 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of Ikes's written reviews are positive against 88% of Zavala's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Ikes versus Zavala: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIkesZavala
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (31 ratings)4.8 (70 ratings) — better
Positive reviews92.9% of reviews — better87.7% of reviews
Number of ratings3170 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size284 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperINCREDIBLE FOX, Inc.Vincode, Inc

Customer experience

Ikes

All ratings31 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral3.2%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%

Zavala

All ratings69 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews65 reviews
Positive87.7%
Neutral3.1%
Negative9.2%

Bugs and requests

Ikes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Zavala

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Broken sync between iPhone and Mac
  • iCloud database incompatibility
  • Unable to format using toolbar
  • Lost outline after update
  • Sidebar not available
Show 4 more
  • Cannot open outlines from Document Provider
  • App crashes on M1
  • IME input ignored in body text (Japanese)
  • Abstürze beim Anlegen des ersten Dokuments (M1)

Requested features

15 requests
  • Continue releasing macOS builds for older versions
  • Legacy database option for iOS apps
  • Cross-platform support
  • Ability to change tag and outline list order manually
  • Support for hiding notes
Show 10 more
  • Typewriter scroll mode
  • Due dates on the right of the note
  • Font color change
  • Multi-select for dragging
  • Copy and paste lines
  • Option to use system fonts
  • Full screen document view with swipe gesture
  • Adjust line spacing
  • Improve drag and drop behavior on Mac
  • Sync via Nextcloud

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Ikes

One-time1
  • Ikes PREMIUM$9.99
None

Zavala

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ikes free?
Ikes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Zavala free?
Zavala is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ikes or Zavala?
Zavala is rated higher. Ikes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 31 ratings, while Zavala averages 4.8 from 70 ratings.
Do Ikes or Zavala have ads?
Neither Ikes nor Zavala shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ikes or Zavala?
Ikes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Zavala every 2 weeks. Most recently, Ikes was updated on November 3, 2026 and Zavala on November 3, 2026.

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