Meteor vs Backpacks
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Meteor
This app allows users to create and display small, visible notes directly within their notification center. It serves as a constant reminder for quick thoughts rather than extensive planning. An active subscription is required to access its features.
- Notes in notification center
- Visible reminders
- Quick note-taking
- Calendar integration
- Lock screen visibility
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We don’t use a notepad, but we check notifications. Meteor is for those who need a ‘VISIBLE’ small note, not big plans. Take notes in the notification center instead of a notepad. Then they’ll always be there. - An active Meteor Pro subscription is required to use features. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Backpacks
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Backpacks saves anything you want to keep: links, screenshots, images, files and notes. Save from any app's share sheet. Backpacks reads the text in your screenshots on your iPhone, so you can find one by any word in it. No folders, no tags. Just type what you remember. You saw something worth keeping. A week later you remember one word from it. Backpacks finds it. Add PDFs and documents from Files or the Share sheet. Your library syncs across your devices through your own iCloud. No account needed. Add a short note to any save, and search finds it too. Backpacks keeps links and screenshots in one library. Save a link from the Share sheet in one tap, or add a screenshot from Photos. Then search the way you remember: a phrase from the page, the name of the site, a line that was in the screenshot. HOW IT WORKS • Share a link from Safari or any other app. Backpacks saves it quietly and reads the page in the background. • Save files too. Share a PDF or document to Backpacks and it sits next to your links and screenshots. • Add screenshots from Photos. The text inside each one is read on your iPhone, so you can search it later. • Type what you remember. Results appear as you type and match titles, sites, page text and screenshot text. • Home shows your latest media and links. All Items shows everything, filtered by All, Media or Links, sorted by when you added it or when it was published. BUILT TO STAY OUT OF THE WAY • No folders, no tags, no setup. • Links show a title, the site and a date. Where a post's own date can be read, it is labeled as published. Otherwise it says Saved. • If a page can't be read, the save is kept with a plain stand-in title, and a status row tells you which ones need attention. • Light, dark or system appearance. YOURS TO TAKE WITH YOU • Export your whole library as a zip of original images plus a library.json file, and import it again. • Screenshot text is read on the device. Optional anonymous analytics can be turned off in Settings. OPTIONAL AI • Backpacks Buddy is off until you turn it on. When Buddy and Backpacks servers are on, the content you ask Buddy about is sent to Backpacks servers to summarise, describe, answer Ask questions or transcribe reel speech, within daily limits. • Search, screenshot text and your library stay on your device. Backpacks is for people who save a lot and organize nothing.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Backpacks at none against Meteor's 4. Backpacks also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). Meteor's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price 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
Both are free to download. Meteor sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days. Backpacks asks for nothing beyond the download.
Meteor ships an update weekly, Backpacks every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Meteor | Backpacks |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (153 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 81.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 153 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 137 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Asterisk Co. | Aman Jaiswal |
In-app purchases
Meteor
- Meteor Pro Weekly Plan$7.997 Days
- Meteor Pro Monthly Plan$7.991 Month
- Meteor Pro Annual Plan$19.991 Year
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- Meteor Pro Annual Plan3 Days trial$34.991 Year
Backpacks
No in-app purchases









