Sidebar | Fast Notes vs SubTrans
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 fast, keyboard ready for your ideas. No folders, no document names, no organizing. Just get the idea down before it's gone. Entries are timestamped logs, not documents. But some logs do more. Tag an entry as a todo and it joins your lightweight task list. Tag it as a personal win or loss and it goes to your scoreboard, ranked by topic. What's inside: Cross-device sync across iOS and macOS, custom themes, and stealth mode for sensitive notes.
SubTrans
Create, translate, and edit video subtitles with local models and OCR. This app supports embedding subtitles directly into videos or exporting them as SRT files, offering a comprehensive workflow for video creators and language learners.
- Local speech recognition and translation
- OCR subtitle detection
- Subtitle editing and timing adjustment
- Export video with embedded subtitles
- Export SRT subtitle files
- Comprehensive subtitle workflow
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Create, translate, edit, and export video subtitles in one workflow. This app is designed for video creators, editors, students, language learners, and anyone who needs a practical way to add subtitles to videos. You can use locally deployed models to recognize speech and translate subtitles, or use OCR to detect existing on-screen subtitles and translate them into another language. Whether you are adding captions to your own videos, translating videos without subtitles, or preparing subtitle files for editing and publishing, the app helps you manage the process from recognition to final export. Key features: Local speech recognition and translation Use locally deployed models to process video audio and generate subtitles. This is useful when you want more control over your workflow and prefer not to rely entirely on online subtitle services. OCR subtitle recognition For videos that already contain on-screen subtitles, OCR can help extract the text so you can translate, correct, and reuse it. Subtitle editing and correction Edit recognized text, adjust subtitle timing, refine translations, and correct segmentation before exporting. This makes it easier to prepare subtitles that match the pace and meaning of the video. Export video or SRT Export a video with subtitles embedded, or save subtitles as an SRT file for use in video editors, media players, or other production tools. Useful for: Adding subtitles to personal videos, vlogs, tutorials, and courses Translating videos without subtitles Extracting and translating existing on-screen subtitles Creating bilingual subtitles Exporting SRT files for editing, publishing, or archiving From subtitle recognition to translation, editing, and export, the app brings the main subtitle workflow into one place so you can create captions with more control and less switching between tools.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sidebar | Fast Notes at 100% against SubTrans's 50%. Sidebar | Fast Notes also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). SubTrans's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). On price, ratings volume, 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. SubTrans sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Sidebar | Fast Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.
Sidebar | Fast Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Sidebar | Fast Notes's written reviews are positive against 50% of SubTrans's.
Sidebar | Fast Notes ships an update every 3 months, SubTrans weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sidebar | Fast Notes | SubTrans |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better | 2.3 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 475 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chris Woods | 夏骏 倪 |
Customer experience
Sidebar | Fast Notes
SubTrans
In-app purchases
Sidebar | Fast Notes
No in-app purchases
SubTrans
- 永久Free
- 月卡$0.99
- 年卡$0.99








