Comparison

B.Notes/Chat vs Codename Jo

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

Head to head
About

B.Notes/Chat

This app allows you to jot down ideas in a chat-like format, simulating a conversation with yourself. Customize your brainstorming partner with cute animal icons and organize notes with folders and tags. Share your thoughts easily via AirDrop.

Highlights
  • Chat-style note-taking
  • Solo brainstorming with personas
  • Cute animal icons for personas
  • Folder and tag organization
  • AirDrop sharing
Features
Read full description

B.Notes is a simple application that records notes in a chat-like speech bubble. You can write out ideas that you come up with, and brainstorm by yourself. In solo brainstorming, you can set the persona as the peer you want to talk to. Key Features: - Cute animal icons for persona - Manages notes using folders and tags - Sends and receives notes via AirDrop

About

Codename Jo

This voice assistant helps manage your inbox and calendar by summarizing emails, drafting replies, and scheduling events. It integrates with various work tools and can be controlled from your Apple Watch.

Highlights
  • Summarize emails
  • Draft and send replies
  • Organize messages
  • Manage calendar events
  • Integrate with work tools
  • Apple Watch companion app
Features
Read full description

Codename Jo is a voice assistant for your inbox, calendar and work tools. Talk to Jo to catch up on email, draft replies and manage your day. WORK THROUGH YOUR INBOX Hear summaries of your mail, ask follow-up questions, draft and send replies, and organize messages with archive and label actions. MANAGE YOUR CALENDAR Ask about your schedule and create or update events in Google Calendar. CONNECT YOUR WORK TOOLS Connect Gmail and Google Calendar, with optional connections for Slack, Notion, Granola, GitHub and custom MCP services. Available actions depend on the services you connect and their permissions. TALK FROM YOUR APPLE WATCH Use the Watch companion to start a conversation, mute your microphone or end a call. Keep your paired iPhone nearby with Codename Jo open. WHAT YOU NEED An OpenAI API key with access to the models used by Jo, a Google account for Gmail and Calendar, and an internet connection. OpenAI usage is billed separately to your OpenAI account. Microphone permission is required for voice conversations. Apple Watch is optional. YOUR DATA Your OpenAI key and connected-service credentials are stored in the device Keychain. Voice and relevant connected content are sent to the AI and service providers needed to fulfill your requests. Privacy Policy: https://kiloforge.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

B.Notes/Chat4 screens
Codename Jo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: B.Notes/Chat at 100% against Codename Jo's 0%. B.Notes/Chat also leads on iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.4). Codename Jo's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads 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. B.Notes/Chat sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Codename Jo asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

B.Notes/Chat ships an update every 2 months, Codename Jo every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
B.Notes/Chat versus Codename Jo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterB.Notes/ChatCodename Jo
PriceFreeFree
Rating—1.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.6 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB110 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKouichi AbePetaforge Inc.

Customer experience

B.Notes/Chat

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Codename Jo

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

B.Notes/Chat

One-time1
  • Beerware$1.99
None

Codename Jo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is B.Notes/Chat free?
B.Notes/Chat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Codename Jo free?
Codename Jo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do B.Notes/Chat or Codename Jo have ads?
Neither B.Notes/Chat nor Codename Jo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, B.Notes/Chat or Codename Jo?
B.Notes/Chat ships an update every 2 months, and Codename Jo every 5 days. Most recently, B.Notes/Chat was updated on November 3, 2026 and Codename Jo on November 6, 2026.

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