Comparison

SayWave vs Impression Journal

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

Head to head
About

SayWave

This app converts spoken words into text and reads typed text aloud. It supports various languages and offers customization for reading speed, pitch, and font size. You can also extract text from images, PDFs, and files for playback.

Highlights
  • Reads typed text aloud
  • Transcribes speech to text via microphone
  • Extracts text from files, images, and PDFs using OCR
  • Customizable reading speed, pitch, and language
  • Saves and edits texts in a library
  • Highlights reading text by word or sentence
Features
Read full description

Turn text into natural speech — and speech into text. Instantly, privately, everywhere. Even offline. SayWave is the fastest way to speak and be heard. Type anything and hear it in stunning, natural Apple voices. Or tap the mic and watch your words appear as you talk — transcribed entirely on your device. TEXT TO SPEECH • Every Apple voice, every language and accent — including Premium and Enhanced voices • Follow along as each word is highlighted while it's spoken • Continuous Reading: one message flows into the next, hands-free • Reading speed from 0.5x to 3x — you set the pace • Tap any message to hear it again, anytime SPEECH TO TEXT • Unlimited on-device transcription — fast, accurate, and private • Automatic end-of-speech detection: just stop talking, and your words become text • Dictate in dozens of languages READ ANYTHING • Import PDFs — every page becomes its own tappable message • Point your camera at any text, or pick a photo — instant text recognition • Share PDFs from WhatsApp, Mail, or Files straight into SayWave with "Open in SayWave" YOUR CONVERSATION, SAVED • A clean chat-style view keeps everything you've spoken and typed • Search, edit, share, or select multiple messages at once • Polish your text with Apple Intelligence Writing Tools SHARE AS AUDIO • Export anything you write as MP3, M4A, WAV, AIFF, or FLAC • Files named by date and time — ready to send anywhere EVERYWHERE YOU ARE • iMessage app: dictate and insert text right in your chats • Apple Watch: speak from your wrist • Home Screen quick actions and Siri shortcuts for instant dictation • Designed for iPhone and iPad PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Works completely offline — no internet connection required • No data collection. Ever. Your voice never leaves your device. BUILT FOR EVERYONE • Full VoiceOver support, Dynamic Type, Reduce Motion, and more • Localized in 29 languages • Free Family Sharing included Download SayWave and give your words a voice. Terms of use : https://iapps.app/Terms Privacy-policy: https://iapps.app/Privacy

About

Impression Journal

Capture fleeting thoughts, people, or observations and automatically link them to their location and time. Add photos, organize into folders, and revisit your memories on a map or timeline. Syncs seamlessly across devices.

Highlights
  • Location-aware note-taking
  • Add photos to entries
  • Organize notes into folders
  • Map and timeline view
  • Home screen widget
  • Apple Watch companion app
  • iCloud syncing
Features
Read full description

WHAT IS IMPRESSION JOURNAL? Impression Journal is a fast, flexible way to capture the small stuff — a person you just met, a bird or flower you spotted, an idea passing through your head — and tie it to a place and a moment in time. Create an Impression with a name, a short description, and hashtags, and Impression Journal automatically timestamps and locates it for you. Prefer to talk? Just ask Siri for a "Quick Impression" to jot something down instantly, or a step-by-step "New Impression" to add notes and tags. More features: * Add a photo to any Impression * File Impressions into folders * Browse everything by Recents, Tags, Places, or Search * See all your Impressions plotted on a map * Track repeat encounters with an Impression as a timeline of sightings * Add a widget to your home screen to see nearby Impressions, filtered by folder and hashtags * Set up custom notifications to alert you when Impressions are nearby (full version only) * Everything syncs automatically over iCloud * Companion Apple Watch app allows you to capture a thought without pulling out your phone Whether you're putting names to faces at a conference, remembering the code for your storage unit, or just catching an idea before it slips away, Impression Journal keeps a searchable, location-aware record of the little things you'd otherwise forget.

Screenshots

SayWave4 screens
Impression Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Impression Journal at 5.0 against SayWave's 4.4. Impression Journal also leads on iOS requirement (18.6 vs 26.4). SayWave's advantage is ratings volume (166 vs 1) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. SayWave sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Impression Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Impression Journal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SayWave has 166 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SayWave ships an update fortnightly, Impression Journal every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
SayWave versus Impression Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSayWaveImpression Journal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (166 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings166 — better1
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS26.418.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMaryam DerakhsheshtApps

Customer experience

SayWave

All ratings166 ratings
Positive85.5%
Neutral3.0%
Negative11.4%
Written reviews43 reviews
Positive81.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative18.6%

Impression Journal

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

SayWave

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Forward and backward option not working after iOS update
  • App freezes when requesting 'get audio'
  • Ebook reader exports texts and then reads them
  • Speech reading is terrible, pronunciation slows down
  • App does not work on iPad
Show 5 more
  • Playback location setting doesn't work
  • Freezes for 10 seconds when pressing play
  • Does not keep PDF formatting
  • Text conversion from images is unreadable
  • Does not sync to other devices

Requested features

9 requests
  • Update for iOS compatibility
  • Improve audio player controls
  • Option to change speaker voice
  • Improvements in interface/highlighting
  • Browser integration
Show 4 more
  • Apple Watch controller
  • iMessage app for easier sharing
  • Play again on records
  • Voice recorder feature

Impression Journal

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

SayWave

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription$9.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription3 Days trial$24.991 Year
1 purchases

Impression Journal

One-time1
  • Full Version$4.99

Questions

Is SayWave free?
SayWave is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Impression Journal free?
Impression Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SayWave or Impression Journal?
Impression Journal is rated higher. SayWave averages 4.4 out of 5 from 166 ratings, while Impression Journal averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do SayWave or Impression Journal have ads?
Neither SayWave nor Impression Journal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SayWave or Impression Journal?
SayWave ships an update fortnightly, and Impression Journal every 2 months. Most recently, SayWave was updated on October 25, 2026 and Impression Journal on October 14, 2026.

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