Comparison

Kernels vs QueryDial

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

Head to head
About

Kernels

This app acts as a personal search engine, allowing you to index and quickly find your saved text, web pages, images, emails, and documents. It prioritizes user privacy and synchronizes your data across devices for easy access anywhere. It helps boost productivity by making your digital information instantly searchable.

Highlights
  • Personal search index
  • Save text, web pages, images
  • Search emails and documents
  • Privacy-focused indexing
  • Cross-device synchronization
  • Boost productivity and organization
Features
Read full description

Hello, we are Kernels Your personal search engine for all your stuff. Only you decide what's indexed. Imagine being able to easily find a specific article you saw on a website a few weeks ago or quickly access an important presentation you gave last year. Kernels enable this functionality. Unlike traditional search engines that search the entire web, Kernels focuses on information you save in your personal search index. This can include your emails, text messages, documents, free text notes, browsing history, and even images and screenshots. • Unleash the Power of Personal Search with Kernels While Kernals excels at capturing ideas and boosting productivity, it shines as a powerful Personal Search Engine (PSE) for your digital life. • Go Beyond Notes: Search Made Simple Forget scouring endless folders. Kernals lets you save articles, web clips, and screenshots alongside your notes. Our intuitive search enables you to find exactly what you need instantly. • Privacy First: Your Data, Your Control Unlike traditional search engines, Kernals keeps your information secure and private. You can focus on your thoughts, not on who might be tracking them. • Access Anywhere: Unleash the Power of Synchronization Your notes and searches are always at your fingertips. Kernals seamlessly sync across devices, so you can pick up where you left off, whether on your phone, tablet, or computer. • Your PSE Evolves with You: Constant Innovation We're constantly improving Kernals based on user feedback. Our commitment is to provide the best possible PSE experience, empowering you to take control of your digital world. Join us on this note-taking journey and unlock your potential for creativity, productivity, and organization. Download Kernels today and experience the convenience of quickly capturing and organizing your ideas.

About

QueryDial

Instantly search your favorite websites with custom shortcuts. Assign simple keywords or !bang commands to quickly find content on platforms like YouTube, Wikipedia, and X directly from your browser's search bar or a toolbar window. Streamline your online searches and enhance your productivity.

Highlights
  • Custom website shortcuts
  • !Bang command syntax
  • Safari search bar integration
  • Toolbar window search
  • Site search services
  • Shortcuts app integration
Features
Read full description

With QueryDial, you can: - Use “yt cats" to search for cute cat videos on YouTube - Use "w Gravity" to easily find the content you want on Wikipedia - Use “!x #trending" to view real-time trending topics on X - or, assign shortcut for any websites you like! *Getting started is easy* 1. Add your frequently used searchable websites (e.g., YouTube, Quora, Twitter, etc.) to QueryDial's search library. 2. Set up simple and easy-to-remember shortcuts (e.g., “yt” for YouTube, “w” for Wikipedia). 3. Enter your search terms directly in the Safari's search bar* or in the QueryDial toolbar window. 4. Include the shortcut in your search terms (e.g., “!yt funny cats") or as the first word in your search (e.g., “yt funny cats"). *Different ways to enter shortcuts* - !Bang commands: Use commands like “!wiki grey fox” or “grey fox wiki!” to quickly open a search on the specified website. The syntax here is same as the !Bangs from DuckDuckGo. - Keyword shortcuts: Add the shortcut before or after your search terms, separate them with a space, such as “yt cat videos” or “cat videos yt”. *Site Search and Snapshot Services* Save time entering "site:domain.com". Use QueryDial’s Safari popup to easily view the website snapshots or search the domain with site search services. *Enhance your “Shortcuts” app* QueryDial provides a number of useful shortcuts that you can use to customize your own workflows in the “Shortcuts” app. Try build your own workflow using shortcuts! *To use QueryDial directly in the search bar, you need to enable shortcuts for the browser's default search engine in QueryDial's settings. QueryDial currently supports using shortcuts in the following search engines: Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yandex, Yahoo, Baidu, Naver, Ecosia, Brave Search, Startpage, Kagi, Qwant, Swisscows

Screenshots

Kernels4 screens
QueryDial4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Kernels at none against QueryDial's 2. Kernels also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). QueryDial's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume and ads 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. QueryDial sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per year. Kernels asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

QueryDial holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kernels ships an update every 2 months, QueryDial every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and July 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Kernels versus QueryDial: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKernelsQueryDial
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (10 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings10 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFunnls LLCYuhao Zhang

Customer experience

Kernels

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

QueryDial

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Kernels

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

QueryDial

Subscriptions1
  • Annual Subscription2 Months trial$1.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$3.99

Questions

Is Kernels free?
Kernels is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is QueryDial free?
QueryDial is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Kernels or QueryDial?
QueryDial is rated higher. Kernels averages 4.7 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while QueryDial averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Kernels or QueryDial have ads?
Neither Kernels nor QueryDial shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kernels or QueryDial?
Kernels ships an update every 2 months, and QueryDial every 3 weeks. Most recently, Kernels was updated on September 19, 2026 and QueryDial on July 18, 2026.

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