Sidebar | Fast Notes vs Idea Think
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sidebar | Fast Notes
Quickly capture thoughts and ideas without the need for organization. Entries are timestamped logs that can be tagged as to-dos or personal wins/losses. Syncs across devices with custom themes and a stealth mode.
- Instant note capture
- Timestamped entries
- To-do list integration
- Personal scoreboard
- Cross-device sync
- Custom themes
- Stealth mode
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Open. Type. Done. Sidebar opens with the keyboard ready, so you can catch an idea in seconds and get back to what you were doing. No folders, no file names, no formatting. Just get it down before it's gone. EVERY ENTRY IS A LOG Notes are quick, timestamped logs, not documents. Add a tag when one needs to do more: - Todo: adds it to your task list - Win or Loss: counts toward your scoreboard - Love: marks the ideas worth coming back to KEEP SCORE Track wins and losses for anything: running, flossing, screen time. Your scoreboard shows what's on track and what needs attention. MAKE IT YOURS Choose any color for your theme. AND A FEW EXTRAS - Widget: pin an idea to your home screen - Sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac - Stealth Mode: keep sensitive notes private - Time Travel: revisit a random day
Idea Think
Capture, organize, and visualize your thoughts with a mind mapping tool. Branch ideas naturally, search your entire library, and export your thinking as PDFs. Keep your ideas private and offline.
- Capture ideas in one tap
- Unlimited branching
- Interactive Tree Map view
- Search by text or tag
- Export as PDF
- Private and offline storage
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Capture ideas fast, branch them naturally, and organise everything offline. Idea Think turns scattered thoughts into a clear mind map you can search, tag, pin, visualise, and export whenever inspiration strikes. Whether you are planning a project, collecting insights, outlining content, or saving a passing idea before it disappears, Idea Think gives every thought a place to grow. CORE FEATURES - Capture ideas in one tap - Grow unlimited branches from any idea - View your structure in an interactive Tree Map - Search by text or tag across your whole library - Pin and tag important ideas for quick access - Export any idea tree as a clean PDF - Use daily reminders to build a thinking habit - Keep everything private and fully offline FAST CAPTURE Type a thought and hit send. No folders, no setup, no friction. New ideas land in your Inbox first, so you can capture now and organise later. NATURAL BRANCHING Tap any idea to drill deeper and add child branches. Start from one seed and grow it into a full mind tree as your thinking expands. VISUAL THINKING Use Tree Map view to see your idea structure at a glance. Pinch, zoom, and pan through your thinking visually. Long-press any node to edit, move, or delete. SEARCH AND ORGANISE Find any idea quickly with text or tag search. Filter by Top Level, Seedbed, Recent, Most Branched, or Deep Ideas. Pin the ideas you want to keep in focus. EXPORT AND SHARE Turn any idea tree into a beautifully formatted PDF. Share it with your team, send it to yourself, or archive your thinking for later. PRIVATE AND OFFLINE Everything stays on your device. No account. No cloud. No forced sync. Light and Dark Mode are both supported, with six accent colours to personalise your trees. FREE TO USE Idea Think is free to download and use. The app is supported by ads, which help us keep it updated and improving. Available in English, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sidebar | Fast Notes at none against Idea Think's 1. Idea Think's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Idea Think sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Sidebar | Fast Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.
Sidebar | Fast Notes ships an update every 2 months, Idea Think every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sidebar | Fast Notes | Idea Think |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chris Woods | Man Chi CHoi |
Customer experience
Sidebar | Fast Notes
Idea Think
In-app purchases
Sidebar | Fast Notes
No in-app purchases
Idea Think
- IdeaThinkPro$1.99
Questions
Is Sidebar | Fast Notes free?
Is Idea Think free?
Do Sidebar | Fast Notes or Idea Think have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sidebar | Fast Notes or Idea Think?
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