Comparison

Special Dates vs Strflow

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

Head to head
About

Special Dates

Easily save and track important dates with a minimalist countdown widget. This app helps you remember upcoming events like birthdays or bills, syncing them across your devices.

Highlights
  • Save important dates
  • Track days remaining
  • Periodic event saving
  • Birthday reminders
  • Bill tracking
  • iOS 14 widget support
  • Cross-device syncing
Features
Read full description

Save your important dates and track the days that have left. Simplest app to save dates and see a countdown of each one. Allows to save periodically events like birthday or bills. Supports all the widget sizes that have iOS 26 and the dates will be synced between your devices

About

Strflow

This app offers a unique chat-style interface for taking notes, organizing them with tags, and setting reminders. It integrates seamlessly with iOS features and ensures your data is secure and exportable.

Highlights
  • Chat-style note-taking
  • Timeline organization
  • Tagging system
  • Todo lists and reminders
  • Quick capture from anywhere
  • Rich text editor
  • iCloud sync and backup
Features
Read full description

Strflow adopts a chat-style timeline format for incredibly simple and beautiful note-taking. Experience the simplicity of note-taking in a texting-yourself style. # Build Your Timeline As you jot down notes, a personal timeline naturally forms. With tags, you can also create timelines focused on specific topics. Tags can be attached or created from anywhere, and you can easily reorder them with drag & drop in the sidebar. # Todo & Reminders, Naturally in Your Timeline Strflow turns your checklists into a dedicated Todo timeline, so you can easily review tasks, check them off, and add new ones from a single view. You can also set notes for future dates and use them as reminders. Scheduled notes stay hidden until the right time, then gently surface with notifications—right when you need them. # Quick Notes Anywhere Sync quickly and capture notes from anywhere. Open the app and start typing instantly, access Strflow from the share sheet — no need to switch apps. # Native on iOS Strflow is designed natively for iOS, blending perfectly with its look and feel. It also integrates with system features like Apple Shortcuts and the share sheet—making it easy to fit into your workflow. # Your Data, 100% Yours Your data is stored safely on your device and in iCloud. When saved to iCloud, it’s encrypted with your iCloud Keychain. For those using iCloud’s Advanced Data Protection, enjoy the added security of end-to-end encryption. All data can also be exported as Markdown, so you can take it anywhere with no lock-in. # A Powerful Editor Strflow supports a wide range of rich-text editing features, including: • Link previews • Checklists • Note links • Inline formatting (bold, italic, etc.) • Block-level formatting (lists, code blocks, quote blocks, etc.) • Images --- Strflow lets you take unlimited notes for free. By joining Strflow Plus, you’ll unlock encrypted sync and backup via iCloud. Prices may vary by location. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card via your App Store account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Once activated, subscriptions cannot be canceled. Manage your subscriptions in your App Store Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited upon purchasing a subscription. The lifetime option is a one-time, non-renewing purchase that grants permanent access to Strflow Plus features. --- For any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact us at support@strflow.app. We are eager to assist and connect with you! Privacy policy: https://strflow.app/privacy-policy Terms of use: https://strflow.app/terms

Screenshots

Special Dates3 screens
Strflow4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Strflow at 5.0 against Special Dates's 4.0. Strflow also leads on review sentiment (97% vs 63%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). Special Dates's advantage is monetization model (free vs freemium). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Special Dates sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Strflow sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Strflow holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Strflow has 49 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Special Dates's written reviews are positive against 97% of Strflow's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Special Dates ships an update every 4 months, Strflow fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Special Dates versus Strflow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpecial DatesStrflow
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (49 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.2% of reviews97.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings549 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperErnesto Fernández CallesShingo Eguchi

Customer experience

Special Dates

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive63.2%
Neutral18.4%
Negative18.4%

Strflow

All ratings49 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive97.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.9%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Special Dates

One-time3
  • Coffee$0.99
  • Cake$2.99
  • Party$4.99
4 purchases

Strflow

Subscriptions2
  • Strflow Plus (Monthly)7 Days trial$1.491 Month
  • Strflow Plus (Annual)14 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time2
  • Strflow Plus (Lifetime, Subscriber)$27.99
  • Strflow Plus (Lifetime)$37.99

Questions

Is Special Dates free?
Special Dates is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Strflow free?
Strflow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Special Dates or Strflow?
Strflow is rated higher. Special Dates averages 4.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Strflow averages 5.0 from 49 ratings.
Do Special Dates or Strflow have ads?
Neither Special Dates nor Strflow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Special Dates or Strflow?
Special Dates ships an update every 4 months, and Strflow fortnightly. Most recently, Special Dates was updated on September 19, 2026 and Strflow on September 16, 2026.

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