Sidebar | Fast Notes vs Collection Monster
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
Collection Monster
This app helps you save and organize various digital content, including links, text, and images. It uses AI to automatically generate titles, summaries, and tags, making your saved items searchable and actionable. You can also listen to your saved content or organize it into project folders.
- Fast content capture
- AI-generated organization
- Smart recommendations
- Audio playback of saved items
- Project-based organization
- Local-first storage
- Configurable AI services
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Saved a lot, but never opened it again? Collection Monster brings links, WeChat articles, images, screenshots, text, and files into one clean library, then uses the AI model you choose to turn them into readable, searchable, and actionable knowledge. CAPTURE WITHOUT INTERRUPTING YOUR FLOW Save from the Share Sheet, Quick Add, Photos, or Files. Your item is stored first, so you can move on without waiting for AI processing. SHARE AND REVISIT Create revocable links to saved items. Preview the title, summary, and source before sharing; long-press a card to move it to a library or set a reminder. READ THE SUMMARY, THEN THE FULL ARTICLE AI can create an introduction, key takeaways, tags, a value score, and suggested next actions. The original article and AI guide live on the same page, and web links open directly in your browser. CLEANER WEB READING Collection Monster extracts the main text and useful images while reducing avatars, QR codes, ads, and decorative graphics. ONE PLACE FOR EVERY IMAGE Browse saved images in a masonry gallery. Swipe through originals, select and delete multiple images, or save images to Photos. REDISCOVER WHAT MATTERS Recommendations surface valuable and actionable saves. Monster Radio can read the original text or the AI-organized version aloud. YOUR MODEL, YOUR CHOICE Use supported compatible model providers. API keys are kept in the device Keychain. Without AI configuration, Collection Monster still works as a local-first reading and collection library. Also includes duplicate-link detection, Trash, iPad layouts, native experiences for Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV, plus optional iCloud sync. Saving is only the beginning. Make every item easy to revisit and ready for your next action. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Sidebar | Fast Notes at 5.0 against Collection Monster's 4.3. Sidebar | Fast Notes also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3). Collection Monster's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months) and device support (5 vs 2). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume 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. Collection Monster sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Sidebar | Fast Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.
Sidebar | Fast Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 9 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Sidebar | Fast Notes's written reviews are positive against 93% of Collection Monster's.
Sidebar | Fast Notes ships an update every 2 months, Collection Monster every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sidebar | Fast Notes | Collection Monster |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better | 4.3 (9 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 92.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7 | 9 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | Chris Woods | 鑫 宋 |
Customer experience
Sidebar | Fast Notes
Collection Monster
In-app purchases
Sidebar | Fast Notes
No in-app purchases
Collection Monster
- Monthly PRO$0.991 Month
- Annual PRO$4.991 Year
- Lifetime PRO$19.99
Questions
Is Sidebar | Fast Notes free?
Is Collection Monster free?
Which has better reviews, Sidebar | Fast Notes or Collection Monster?
Do Sidebar | Fast Notes or Collection Monster have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sidebar | Fast Notes or Collection Monster?
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