*scratch* vs LocalVoiceNote
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
*scratch*
Quickly jot down notes, phone numbers, or directions on the go. This simple scratchpad app requires no sign-in or cloud storage, offering a straightforward way to capture information instantly. Supports plain text and basic Emacs org mode markup.
- Instant note-taking
- Plain text support
- Checkbox lists
- Share to other apps
- Save to Files
- Emacs org mode markup
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You're on the go. Someone's giving you directions, or a phone number, name of a restaurant... you need to write it down now, quickly! No time to create new contact, or a note, a file, or waste time on additional taps, bring up keyboard... You just need to write it somewhere right now. *scratch* is a simple scratch pad. • No bells or whistles, just a simple area to quickly jot something down. • Launch *scratch* and write. • Quickly create lists or checkboxes. • All plain text. • Share to other apps or save to Files as an org file (plain text). • No cloud, account, sign-in, or social required. Bonus: Emacs org mode lovers, you can use lightweight org markup like headings, plain lists, numbered lists, and checkboxes.
LocalVoiceNote
This app converts speech to text using on-device AI for enhanced privacy. It offers offline transcription, summarization, and action generation, with a fallback to a bundled Whisper model for broader language and device support. Transcripts can be saved, searched, revised, and translated.
- On-device speech recognition
- AI-powered summarization and actions
- Offline transcription with Whisper fallback
- Live transcript display
- Save, rename, and search transcripts
- Text revision and translation
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LocalVoiceNote turns speech into text directly on your iPhone or iPad — built around Apple's own on-device intelligence, with privacy first. Apple Speech comes first. On supported devices, LocalVoiceNote transcribes with Apple's built-in on-device speech recognition — the same engine the system uses — so you get fast, natural, low-power results with no setup and no account. Apple Intelligence powers the thinking. On devices with Apple Intelligence, your transcripts are polished, summarised, and turned into actions entirely on-device. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored on a server, and none of it costs you a subscription. Whisper keeps you covered. If Apple Speech isn't available for your device or your language, LocalVoiceNote falls back automatically to a bundled Whisper Large model. It ships inside the app, needs no download and no network, and covers languages and older devices Apple Speech doesn't reach — so transcription always works. LocalVoiceNote is designed for fast capture: tap once to start recording, speak naturally, and watch your transcript appear live. Save transcripts automatically, rename them, search later, revise text, and translate supported content when needed. Whether you are capturing meeting notes, voice memos, ideas on the go, lecture summaries, bilingual phrases, or quick dictated drafts, LocalVoiceNote keeps the workflow simple and local.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: LocalVoiceNote at Free against *scratch*'s $2.99. *scratch*'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (daily vs weekly). On review sentiment, 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
LocalVoiceNote is free to download; *scratch* costs $2.99 up front. LocalVoiceNote sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. *scratch* asks for nothing beyond the download.
*scratch* ships an update daily, LocalVoiceNote weekly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | *scratch* | LocalVoiceNote |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.9 (28 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 28 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Daily — better | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 575 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Xenodium Ltd. | Liang Cheng |
Customer experience
*scratch*
LocalVoiceNote
In-app purchases
*scratch*
No in-app purchases
LocalVoiceNote
- LocalVoiceNote Pro$5.99









