Comparison

Ikes vs SideNotes Mobile

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

SideNotes Mobile

Capture thoughts and to-dos on the go with this mobile note-taking app. It offers iCloud sync, Markdown formatting, and customizable themes for a personalized experience. Easily access notes from other applications.

Highlights
  • iCloud Synchronization
  • Markdown Formatting
  • Task Management
  • Customizable Themes
  • Note and Folder URLs
  • Note Colors
Features
Read full description

SideNotes Mobile is a fast notes app for iPhone and iPad. Capture notes, tasks, links, and snippets in seconds, then access them across devices with iCloud sync. Version 1.2 brings a major upgrade: - A new editor with hidden Markdown markup - the same as in SideNotes for macOS - Refreshed iOS 26-style interface (Liquid Glass look) - Note folding - Note & Folder pinning - Simple drag-and-drop reordering - New contextual menu - New formatting options - Add Note action for the iPhone Action Button - New translations: Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, and Spanish - UI polish, bug fixes, and quality improvements Core features: - iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac - Themes and note colors for personalization - Tasks and checklists for daily work - Folder organization and quick search - Note and folder URLs for fast access from other apps - Text settings for comfortable writing and reading - One-time purchase (paid per major version). No subscription. Note: SideNotes Mobile is a companion app to SideNotes for macOS. SideNotes for macOS is sold separately.

Screenshots

Ikes4 screens
SideNotes Mobile4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Ikes at Free against SideNotes Mobile's $9.99. Ikes also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.2). SideNotes Mobile's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#109 vs unranked). On review sentiment, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

Ikes is free to download; SideNotes Mobile costs $9.99 up front. Ikes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SideNotes Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ikes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 30 and 28 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of Ikes's written reviews are positive against 88% of SideNotes Mobile's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ikes ships an update every 2 weeks, SideNotes Mobile monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Ikes versus SideNotes Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIkesSideNotes Mobile
PriceFree — better$9.99
Rating4.7 (30 ratings) — better4.2 (28 ratings)
Positive reviews92.9% of reviews — better88.4% of reviews
Number of ratings30 — better28
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#109 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017
Further details — not scored
Size284 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperINCREDIBLE FOX, Inc.Apptorium

Customer experience

Ikes

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

SideNotes Mobile

All ratings28 ratings
Positive82.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative17.9%
Written reviews43 reviews
Positive88.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.6%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Ikes

One-time1
  • Ikes PREMIUM$9.99
None

SideNotes Mobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ikes free?
Ikes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SideNotes Mobile free?
SideNotes Mobile costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ikes or SideNotes Mobile?
Ikes is rated higher. Ikes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 30 ratings, while SideNotes Mobile averages 4.2 from 28 ratings.
Do Ikes or SideNotes Mobile have ads?
Neither Ikes nor SideNotes Mobile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ikes or SideNotes Mobile?
Ikes ships an update every 2 weeks, and SideNotes Mobile monthly. Most recently, Ikes was updated on October 9, 2026 and SideNotes Mobile on October 16, 2026.

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