# Brainwave vs Side Brain

The clearest difference is price: Side Brain at Free against Brainwave's $0.99. Side Brain also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months). Brainwave's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.6). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Side Brain is free to download; Brainwave costs $0.99 up front. Side Brain sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Brainwave asks for nothing beyond the download.

Brainwave ships an update every 3 months, Side Brain every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Brainwave | Side Brain |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[2.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brainwave/id400523459/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1** | — |
| Positive reviews | 20.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 9 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Zymbiotic Technologies](https://appshunter.io/developer/338578112) | [Petr Nezval](https://appshunter.io/developer/1870515085) |

## 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


### Side Brain

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/side-brain-read-later-and-ai/id6758042214)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Premium | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Premium | $7.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Brainwave free?

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

### Is Side Brain free?

Side Brain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Brainwave or Side Brain have ads?

Neither Brainwave nor Side Brain shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Brainwave or Side Brain?

Brainwave ships an update every 3 months, and Side Brain every 4 days. Most recently, Brainwave was updated on October 17, 2026 and Side Brain on October 25, 2026.

---

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