Comparison

Purelist vs Airlist

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

Head to head
About

Purelist

This app helps organize thoughts and manage tasks with a minimalist approach. It focuses on core functionality for productivity, offering features like sorting, widgets, and indentation. An optional Pro version unlocks advanced features like reminders and iCloud sync.

Highlights
  • Free item sorting
  • Home screen widget
  • Mark important items
  • Indentation for outlines
  • Search by item
  • Swipe to complete/delete
  • Add item descriptions
Read full description

Purelist is a thought organizer for those who are serious about their work or studies. Purelist prioritizes your focus on what's important, not adding extra features or decorations to get your attention. If you are looking for a motivational tool, Purelist may not be for you. However, if you need something simple to help you achieve your goals, it may be perfect for you. Purelist can be used for daily planning, task management, and note taking. It's helpful for habit checklists, lecture notes, and shopping lists. Its clean interface won't steal your time. There are no ads, and it doesn't collect your data. Purelist has no checkboxes in the list and is completed by swiping, so it can be used for both task management and idea capture. The star icon indicates the urgency of tasks or the importance of ideas. Purelist is designed to do more with less, so you don't get confused and lose the features you need. Use Purelist to increase your productivity! Key Features: • Sort tasks and items freely. • Show your list on your home screen at any time with the widget. • Mark important items to mark them more prominently. • Use indentation for easier writing and reading outlines. • No need to title your lists and tasks. • Easily search by item. • Smooth completion and deletion as you work with each item. • Add descriptions to items to manage items in detail. For Pro: • Sync lists between your iPhone, iPad, and Mac via iCloud. • Set reminders for tasks and items. • View and manage reminders by date. • Quickly set reminders using date presets. • Send system notifications at set times. • Can repeat reminders on a daily, weekly, monthly, or annually schedule. • The list can be divided into groups to organize the list in more detail. • Subgroups can be added to a group.

About

Airlist

Organize your thoughts, ideas, and tasks with an intuitive outliner. Create nested lists for groceries, projects, or anything else, and sync them across all your Apple devices. Features include widgets, dark mode, and advanced search.

Highlights
  • Infinitely nested lists
  • Cross-device syncing
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
  • Dark Mode support
  • Advanced saved searches
  • Easy export and import
Read full description

A delightful outliner for your dreams, ideas, lists, and projects. == Native iOS app - Built natively for iPhone, iPad and Mac == Delightful, beautiful lists - Easily create beautiful infinitely nested lists of groceries to buy, movies to watch, books to read, projects to complete, or anything you can dream of. - Zoom in on any note, showing only what you need to focus on. == Sync everywhere and stay organized on all your devices - Airlist syncs across all your iOS devices. == Dates Done Right - Start and Due Dates? Yes. - Start and Due TIMES? You bet. - Repeat after complete or custom schedule? Of course. == Loaded with features not distractions - Get in, get out. Beautiful design. Intuitive UI. - Airlist is simple at its core and advanced where you need. == Plus so much more - Widgets (Home and Lock Screen) - Unlimited Items. Infinite Zoom. - Dark Mode - Automatic Sync - Drag and Drop - Backlinks and References - Keyboard Shortcuts - Tags - Easy export and import - Beautiful formatting - Advanced Saved Searches Privacy Policy: https://airlist.app/privacy Terms of Service: https://airlist.app/terms

Screenshots

Purelist4 screens
Airlist4 screens

Verdict

The call

Purelist and Airlist both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 85% of Airlist's written reviews are positive against 75% of Purelist's. Purelist's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Purelist sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month and Airlist sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Purelist against 4.7 for Airlist. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 41 and 15 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of Purelist's written reviews are positive against 85% of Airlist's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Purelist ships an update fortnightly, Airlist monthly. The most recent releases landed on June 10, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Purelist versus Airlist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPurelistAirlist
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (41 ratings)4.7 (15 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews84.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings41 — better15
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperShintaro MiyakeLogerhaus, LLC

Customer experience

Purelist

All ratings41 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral7.3%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral14.3%
Negative10.7%

Airlist

All ratings15 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral7.7%
Negative7.7%

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Purelist

Subscriptions4
  • Purelist Pro for Students14 Days trial$0.491 Month
  • Purelist Pro14 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Purelist Pro for Students14 Days trial$4.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Purelist Pro14 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time2
  • Purelist Pro for Students$24.99
  • Purelist Pro$49.99
2 purchases

Airlist

Subscriptions2
  • Airlist Premium Monthly1 Month trial$2.991 Month
  • Airlist Premium Yearly1 Month trial$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Purelist free?
Purelist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Airlist free?
Airlist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Purelist or Airlist?
Airlist is rated higher. Purelist averages 4.6 out of 5 from 41 ratings, while Airlist averages 4.7 from 15 ratings.
Do Purelist or Airlist have ads?
Neither Purelist nor Airlist shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Purelist or Airlist?
Purelist ships an update fortnightly, and Airlist monthly. Most recently, Purelist was updated on June 10, 2026 and Airlist on June 1, 2026.

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