Ikes vs Zavala
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
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.
- OPML Import & Export
- Markdown Export
- iCloud Syncing & Sharing
- Nested Tags
- Image Embedding
- Keyboard Shortcuts
- Drag and Drop
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Ikes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Zavala asks for nothing beyond the download.
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.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | Ikes | Zavala |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (31 ratings) | 4.8 (70 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 92.9% of reviews — better | 87.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 31 | 70 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 284 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | INCREDIBLE FOX, Inc. | Vincode, Inc |
Customer experience
Ikes
Zavala
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
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- 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
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- 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
Ikes
- Ikes PREMIUM$9.99
Zavala
No in-app purchases









