Comparison

Plain Org vs Riff

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

Head to head
About

Plain Org

Manage your org mode tasks and notes on the go. This app offers a rich editing experience with support for various markup features, filtering, and cloud syncing. It allows for outline-style editing, task management, and customization of display modes.

Highlights
  • Rendered org markup
  • Filter by keyword, tag, priority
  • Cloud file syncing
  • Outline-style editing
  • Interactive checkboxes
  • Light/dark mode
Features
Read full description

View and edit your org mode tasks while on the go. Org is a wonderfully rich markup language, so **please check** if your favorite feature is supported below (or check https://plainorg.com/#faq): - Beautifully rendered org markup. - Filter by keyword, tag, and priority. - High fidelity org roundtripping. - Sync your org files using your favorite cloud provider. - Control your display between regular and compact mode. - Toggle visibility for scheduling, tags, and stars. - Toggle recurring tasks. - Log state transitions. - Optimize wrapping using paragraph fill. - Regroup your tasks so active ones bubble up. - Create new files. - Outline-style editing with toolbar - Keywords - Indent - Priority - Tags - Formatting: bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, verbatim, and code. - Open files via the iOS Files app using its "Share" menu. - Add links from Safari via share extension. - Add new tasks via Spotlight. - Reorder headings via drag/drop. - Checkboxes - Interactive toggling. - Quickly reset multiple checkboxes. - Open local links (including id links). - Render latex src blocks (experimental). - Render LOGBOOK. - Show inline images. - Show property drawers. - File-local keywords and visibility. - Filter open/closed tasks. - Edit raw text. - Light/dark mode. - Open either .org or .txt files. - Quickly switch between open file and recently open (tap on title). NOTE: Cloud syncing support varies across providers. Please check for compatibility https://plainorg.com/#cloud-providers

About

Riff

Read full description

Your best thinking happens out loud — on a walk, in the car, pacing the kitchen. Riff is where it goes. Talk. Riff turns what you said into a clean transcript, then a short recap with the action items pulled out, right in front of you. The rambling was the thinking. The recap is what you keep. And if the recap isn't quite what you meant, say so — every riff comes with its own agent. "Focus it on the budget." "Add an action about the dentist." "Shorter." It reshapes the recap while you watch, tells you exactly what it changed, and keeps versions so one tap steps you back. Ask it questions, too; it answers only from what you actually said. And it never rewrites your transcript — your words stay yours. Here's the part that matters: all of this happens on your iPhone. Not on "secure servers" — on the phone in your hand. Flip on airplane mode and Riff works exactly the same: recording, transcript, recap, agent. No account, no sign-in, and a privacy label that reads Data Not Collected, because nothing is. That's also why there's no subscription. No cloud means no cloud bills, so riff+ costs $19.99, once. And because the AI is Apple's on-device intelligence, Riff genuinely improves as iPhones do — buy it once, and it gets smarter every year. A thought can arrive anywhere, so Riff can start from anywhere — the Action Button, your Lock Screen, the Dynamic Island — before it gets away. Free, forever: recording, live transcription, editing, your full history with search, and export. Plus 5 recaps and 10 agent requests to try everything. riff+ simply makes recaps and the agent unlimited — everything else was already yours. Riff is for your own thinking — ideas, plans, the stuff you'd otherwise lose. It's a small, fast, private AI, and honest about it: treat a recap as a sharp first draft, not a legal document. Requires Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro or later, iOS 26+).

Screenshots

Plain Org4 screens
Riff4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Riff at Free against Plain Org's $14.99. Riff also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). Plain Org's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.0). On 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

Riff is free to download; Plain Org costs $14.99 up front. Riff sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Plain Org asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Plain Org ships an update every 2 months, Riff every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Plain Org versus Riff: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlain OrgRiff
Price$14.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (156 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings156 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperXenodium Ltd.CognitiveCore Technologies, LLC

Bugs and requests

Plain Org

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Text disappears when closing keyboard without saving
  • Copy and paste doesn't work reliably
  • Pasting from external sources fails
  • Roam links fail to resolve
  • 'What's New' dialog won't close when opening files via shortcuts
Show 6 more
  • Sync hiccups requiring app restart
  • File editing impossible on recent iOS versions
  • Keyboard features missing in raw text editing mode
  • Headings always start collapsed
  • App automatically adds logbook entries to todos
  • App auto-inserts 'Plain Org' text in new files

Requested features

17 requests
  • Widget support for home screen
  • Agenda view across multiple files
  • Apple Watch support
  • Tag filtering and display
  • Schedule/deadline date picker button
Show 12 more
  • Clock-in/clock-out time tracking
  • Template system for new files
  • Keyboard shortcuts for iPad
  • Refile functionality
  • Todo state support
  • Color support for text and headers
  • Dropbox sync integration
  • Animations when opening subheadings
  • Settings screen (instead of context menus)
  • Fullscreen mode for iPhone
  • Table formulas and calculations
  • Attached files viewer

Riff

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Plain Org

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Riff

One-time1
  • riff+$19.99

Questions

Is Plain Org free?
Plain Org costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Riff free?
Riff is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Plain Org or Riff have ads?
Neither Plain Org nor Riff shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Plain Org or Riff?
Plain Org ships an update every 2 months, and Riff every 2 weeks. Most recently, Plain Org was updated on October 13, 2026 and Riff on October 11, 2026.

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