Recall vs Sphinx
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Recall
This app creates a personal knowledge base by summarizing online content like videos, articles, and podcasts. It automatically categorizes and links saved summaries, aiding in content discovery and connection. It also employs spaced repetition and active recall techniques to enhance long-term knowledge retention.
- Summarize any online content
- Save summaries to personal knowledge base
- Automatic categorization of summaries
- Automatic linking of related content
- Spaced repetition reviews
- Active recall testing
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Every AI gives you the same answers. Recall gives you yours. Join over 500K professionals, students and lifelong learners who are saving hours and turning their knowledge into their edge. One living space for your knowledge and the AI model of your choice. Save what matters, write what you think. Over time, you curate an AI that knows what you know. SAVE, SUMMARIZE & ORGANIZE INSTANTLY Share YouTube videos, podcasts, articles, PDFs, TikToks, recipes, and more with the Recall app. We do the rest. AGENTIC AI CHAT Ask questions across your entire knowledge base, search the internet, or combine both in one conversation. Choose your AI model. Switch models mid conversation. No lock in. LISTEN MODE Turn any content into a summary you can listen to in a custom voice you create. Learn on the go, your way. AUTOMATIC ORGANIZATION See how everything you've saved connects. Your content is automatically categorized and linked, no manual filing. Explore your knowledge visually and discover relationships you didn't know existed. QUIZ & RETAIN Stop doom scrolling and start learning. Generate quizzes on any content. Challenge friends with public quizzes. Spaced repetition and active recall resurface what you've saved at optimal intervals to lock it into long-term memory. BUILT FOR POWER USERS Bulk summarize, tag, connect, and generate quizzes at scale. API and MCP access lets you connect your knowledge base to any other AI tool. CROSS-DEVICE SYNC Start on mobile, finish on desktop. Don't break your workflow.
Sphinx
This app helps you regain control of your screen time by locking distracting applications. Instead of simply ignoring timers, you solve engaging puzzles to access your apps, with increasing difficulty for repeated unlocks. It's designed for privacy, keeping your app usage and selections on your device.
- Lock selected apps for set durations
- Solve brain puzzles to unlock apps
- Increasing puzzle difficulty for repeated unlocks
- Offline puzzle solving
- No "ignore" or "snooze" options
- Privacy-focused design, no tracking
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Most app blockers ask you to have willpower. Sphinx asks you to have two minutes and a working brain. Lock the apps that eat your evening. When you want back in, you don't tap "ignore" — you solve a brain puzzle. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick the apps you want locked, and choose how long the lock lasts. 2. Open one of them and you hit the Sphinx shield instead. 3. Solve a puzzle to buy back five minutes. Solve more for longer. EACH UNLOCK COSTS MORE THAN THE LAST The first unlock in a lock window costs one puzzle. The second costs two. The third costs three. After that, you wait until the window ends. The price is on screen before you commit, so a long session never feels free. PUZZLES, NOT TIMERS • 2,499 mate-in-one chess puzzles, every one verified solvable • Number pattern puzzles if chess isn't your thing • Everything is solved on device, so no connection is needed NO ESCAPE HATCH There is no "just this once" button, no snooze, no early exit. A lock window runs until it ends. Apps inside one can't even be removed from your list until it does. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Sphinx never learns which apps you locked. Your selection is handled entirely by Apple's Screen Time framework and stays on your device. No account, no sign-up, no tracking. LIGHT AND DARK Pick either, or follow your phone. — Sphinx uses Apple's Screen Time permission to lock and unlock the apps you choose. It cannot see your activity in those apps, and it cannot see which apps you selected. Sphinx Pro is an auto-renewable subscription: $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year. The yearly plan includes a 7-day free trial for new subscribers; unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the trial ends, the yearly subscription begins automatically. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it in Settings on your device. Privacy Policy: https://kevinnguyen2321.github.io/sphinx-privacy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Sphinx at 5.0 against Recall's 4.5. Sphinx also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks). Recall's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (129 vs 1). On price 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
Both are free to download. Sphinx sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Recall asks for nothing beyond the download.
Sphinx holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Recall has 129 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Recall ships an update every 3 weeks, Sphinx every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Recall | Sphinx |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (129 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 53.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 129 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 81 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Paul Richards | Kevin Nguyen |
In-app purchases
Recall
No in-app purchases
Sphinx
- Sphinx Pro$4.991 Month
- Sphinx Pro7 Days trial$29.991 Year









