# Finalist vs FirstSeed Notes

The clearest difference is device support: Finalist at 5 against FirstSeed Notes's 3. Finalist also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Finalist sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and FirstSeed Notes sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Finalist ships an update every 10 days, FirstSeed Notes weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Finalist | FirstSeed Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (461 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/finalist-daily-planner/id6447014685/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **461** | — |
| Positive reviews | 77.4% of reviews | **84.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 87 MB | 109 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Diversion Marketing Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1629375927) | [FirstSeed Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1321260277) |

## What reviewers say

### Finalist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/finalist-daily-planner/id6447014685)

This app combines your calendar, tasks, reminders, and weather into a single, visually appealing timeline. It integrates with your journal and activity data to inspire your planning. Enjoy a beautiful and joyful planning experience without complex workflows.

**Highlights:** Unified timeline view, Calendar, task, and reminder integration, Weather forecast display, Journal and activity ring integration, Customizable themes, Native Apple technology integration

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Finalist Pro Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Finalist Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Finalist Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Finalist Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Finalist Pro Yearly | $29.99 | per year |
| Finalist Lifetime | $59.99 | one-time |
| Finalist Pro Lifetime | $59.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive day-based organization system
- ✨ Beautiful, thoughtfully designed interface
- 📅 Excellent calendar and reminders integration
- 🎯 Perfect balance of simplicity and functionality
- 📝 Effective task management with bring-forward feature

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes on macOS and when accessing settings
- 🐛 App crashes when opening preferences
- ⚠️ Inconsistent subscription recognition issues
- ⚠️ Confusing pricing structure with multiple tiers
- ⚠️ Limited event creation capabilities

**Reported bugs**

- Settings/preferences crash the app
- Pro subscription not recognized after canceling auto-renewal
- Weather widget fails to display without manual toggling
- App freezes and becomes unresponsive on iPad
- Empty tasks cannot be permanently deleted

**Requested features**

- Apple Watch native app
- Recurring/repeating tasks and reminders
- Subtasks functionality
- Task tagging and filtering
- Event location and travel time details


### FirstSeed Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/firstseed-notes/id6757331297)

Capture, organize, and refine your thoughts with a beautifully designed note-taking app. Supports Markdown, task management, and transcription to create summaries and meeting minutes. Syncs across devices and offers customization options.

**Highlights:** Markdown-supported note creation and editing, Task management with ToDo lists, Highlighting important sentences, Recording and transcription capabilities, Note categorization with tags, Cross-device syncing via iCloud, Customizable font size and line spacing

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Personal Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Team Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Personal Yearly | $26.99 | per year |
| Team Yearly | $95.99 | per year |
| Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Finalist free?

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

### Is FirstSeed Notes free?

FirstSeed Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Finalist or FirstSeed Notes have ads?

Neither Finalist nor FirstSeed Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Finalist or FirstSeed Notes?

Finalist ships an update every 10 days, and FirstSeed Notes weekly. Most recently, Finalist was updated on September 23, 2026 and FirstSeed Notes on September 11, 2026.

---

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