# Brainwave vs Ari Helper

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Ari Helper at 100% against Brainwave's 20%. Ari Helper also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.0) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). Brainwave's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $24.99) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 26.0). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Brainwave costs $0.99 and Ari Helper $24.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Ari Helper holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of Brainwave's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ari Helper's.

Brainwave ships an update every 3 months, Ari Helper weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Brainwave | Ari Helper |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$0.99** | $24.99 |
| Rating | [2.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brainwave/id400523459/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ari-helper/id6480045555/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 20.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 9 MB | 90 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Zymbiotic Technologies](https://appshunter.io/developer/338578112) | [Blaine Miller](https://appshunter.io/developer/1348196068) |

## What reviewers say

### Brainwave

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brainwave/id400523459)

Capture and organize your thoughts with this note-taking application. Create calendar events, reminders, and export notes in various formats. Protect sensitive information with password protection and manage your data with backup and restore options.

**Highlights:** Organize notes with tags, Password protect sensitive notes, Create calendar events and reminders, Export notes to PDF or text, Supports various links (web, phone, maps), Backup and restore notes

**In-app purchases:** none


### Ari Helper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ari-helper/id6480045555)

This AI assistant operates entirely offline, prioritizing user privacy by not collecting personal data. It integrates with Siri for hands-free activation and offers text-to-speech capabilities. Users can manage conversations, download custom models, and even interact with self-hosted or cloud-based AI services.

**Highlights:** Offline AI operation, Siri and App Intents integration, Privacy-focused, no data collection, Text-to-Speech with voice options, Conversation history sync via iCloud, Downloadable custom AI models, Code syntax highlighting

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Brainwave free?

Brainwave costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Ari Helper free?

Ari Helper costs $24.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Brainwave or Ari Helper?

Ari Helper is rated higher. Brainwave averages 2.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Ari Helper averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Brainwave or Ari Helper have ads?

Neither Brainwave nor Ari Helper shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Brainwave or Ari Helper?

Brainwave ships an update every 3 months, and Ari Helper weekly. Most recently, Brainwave was updated on October 1, 2026 and Ari Helper on October 13, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*