Comparison

Sidebar | Fast Notes vs Pip

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Instant note capture
  • Timestamped entries
  • To-do list integration
  • Personal scoreboard
  • Cross-device sync
  • Custom themes
  • Stealth mode
Features
Read full description

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

About

Pip

Features
Read full description

Pip is a cheerful timer companion that makes one countdown — or a whole everyday routine — easy to start, easy to follow, and easy to finish. A BUDDY THAT SHOWS YOUR TIME Pip is a little jar of time with a face. It floats on the time you have left, naps when you pause, and perks up in the last minute. Prefer someone else? Meet Mochi, Toast, Sprout and Bloop, who you unlock by finishing timers. START IN SECONDS • Type or say it: "tea 4 min", "focus 25 min then break 5 min, repeat 4 times", "pasta 10 min, drain 1 min, sauce 4 min". • Or set it by hand with hours, minutes and seconds. • Quick starts for tea, eggs, focus, naps, laundry and planks. • You always review the steps before anything starts. CHAINS FOR REAL ROUTINES • Save routines like Pasta night, Morning routine, Study sprint and Laundry day, and edit them freely. • Wait for me: each step rings, then waits until you're ready for the next one. • Automatic: steps move on by themselves, with one alarm when the whole chain ends. • Run several timers at once and keep an eye on each from one calm home screen. ALARMS YOU CAN TRUST • With your permission, Pip uses system alarms, so timers show on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island and ring even when Pip is closed. • Pause, resume and add a minute from the Lock Screen. • Prefer something quieter? Use normal notifications, or keep timers in the app only. • Pip always shows how each timer will alert you. YOUR SOUND, YOUR WAY Every buddy rings with its own sound — rubber duck, cat chorus, toaster pop, soft chimes or boing — or pick one sound for everything, or one just for a single timer. GENTLE BY DESIGN • A calm look with a quiet display option, plus dark mode. • No streaks, no pressure and no guilt: stickers and buddies are small souvenirs you can ignore completely. • Works with Dynamic Type, VoiceOver and Reduce Motion. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT No account, no ads, no tracking and no network connection. Everything stays on your iPhone. Speech for the mic button is turned into text on your device and never saved. MAKE IT YOURS Tell Pip your name (optional) and it will say hello — and, if you like, use it in alerts. Your name stays on your iPhone. WIDGETS AND SHORTCUTS Start a saved timer from the Home Screen, or ask Siri and Shortcuts to start, pause, resume or add a minute. Pip is a timer, not a medical or therapy tool.

Screenshots

Sidebar | Fast Notes4 screens
Pip4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Sidebar | Fast Notes at 18.6 against Pip's 26.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Sidebar | Fast Notes versus Pip: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSidebar | Fast NotesPip
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (7 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChris WoodsJAMIE ELIZABETH WATKINS

In-app purchases

None

Sidebar | Fast Notes

No in-app purchases

None

Pip

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sidebar | Fast Notes free?
Sidebar | Fast Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pip free?
Pip is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Sidebar | Fast Notes or Pip have ads?
Neither Sidebar | Fast Notes nor Pip shows ads.

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