Comparison

Recall vs HotJot Notes

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

Head to head
About

Recall

This app focuses on recording past events to provide a detailed view of your life, goals, and trends. It offers rich event creation with tags, photos, and links, and intelligently tracks progress towards your goals.

Highlights
  • Record past events
  • Track goal progress
  • Rich event details (photos, links, maps)
  • Personalized tags for grouping
  • Dynamic calendar layout
  • Monthly and daily summaries
  • Cross-device syncing
Features
Read full description

Recall is a modern calendar app, designed for you to find Presence, Excitement, and Progress in your life. Recall focuses on the real events and activities you spend time on to provide an accurate view of the goals, memories, and trends in your day-to-day life. CALENDAR, IN REVERSE Unlike other calendars, Recall is about recording events that have already happened, not planning those that will. This provides a detailed and accurate summary of your life. - Intuitive user interface for quickly creating, editing, and viewing events - Dynamic and customizable Calendar layout to view, compare, and recall several days at a time - Monthly summaries to show when and where you’ve spent the most time - Daily Summaries to provide rich, interpersonal insights to your events RICH EVENTS Recall lets you create rich, information-filled events, so you can remember every detail of your best memories - Personalized Tags to automatically color and group similar events - Event Carousel to easily browse and enjoy memories - Photos, Links, and Maps to provide additional context to events - Favorite Events to always find and remember great moments INTELLIGENT GOALS TRACKING Recall intelligently looks at your events to track progress to various goals in your life. - Tags automatically count events to your goals, without extra work on your end - Clean executive summary graphics make things simple - Goal Priorities let you focus on what’s important RECALL, EVERYWHERE Recall seamlessly syncs across all your devices, so you always have access to your best memories. Whether on iPhone, iPad, or Mac, Recall keeps you connected. IN THE DETAILS Recall is crafted with intention and an eye for details. From the refined color palettes to the fluid goal sheets, Recall elevates your life with thoughtful design.

About

HotJot Notes

Capture ideas, photos, and thoughts quickly using a familiar text thread interface. Organize your life into chronological "Stacks" for focused streams of consciousness. Export your data easily in universal Markdown format.

Highlights
  • Text-to-Save workflow
  • Organize into Stacks
  • Visual Timelines
  • Total Privacy
  • Export to Markdown
  • No ads
Features
Read full description

Stop overthinking your notes. HotJot is the fastest way to capture ideas, photos, and thoughts using an interface you already know: a text thread. Organize your life into Stacks. These are focused, chronological streams of consciousness that feel like texting yourself. Whether it’s a fleeting thought, a photo of a receipt, or a project log, HotJot keeps it organized by time and topic without the heavy feel of other note-taking apps. Why HotJot? • The "Text-to-Save" Workflow: No friction. Just pick a Stack and start typing. • Visual Timelines: Every entry is automatically timestamped. Scroll back to see exactly when an idea struck. • Total Privacy: Your data never leaves your device or your personal iCloud backup. It’s in your control. • Own Your Data: Don’t get locked in. Export any Stack (or your entire library) into a clean .zip file containing universal Markdown files and your original photos or videos. • No ads: We hate ads as much as you do. HotJot is completely free for an introductory period, and if you get it while it's free you'll get upgraded for free later. Perfect for: • Project Tracking: Document progress with photos and quick notes. • Quick Capture: Save links, quotes, book recommendations, and "to-dos" before they vanish. • Personal Journaling: A space for your daily thoughts. • Shopping & Lists: Text your family’s requests into a dedicated Stack.

Screenshots

Recall4 screens
HotJot Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: HotJot Notes at 5.0 against Recall's 4.2. HotJot Notes also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Recall sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. HotJot Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HotJot Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Recall ships an update every 3 months, HotJot Notes every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on July 28, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Recall versus HotJot Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRecallHotJot Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (5 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size170 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrian MasseSandstorm Innovations LLC (US)

Customer experience

Recall

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

HotJot Notes

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Recall

One-time3
  • Small Coffee$0.99
  • Medium Coffee$3.99
  • Large Coffee$5.99
None

HotJot Notes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Recall free?
Recall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HotJot Notes free?
HotJot Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Recall or HotJot Notes?
HotJot Notes is rated higher. Recall averages 4.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while HotJot Notes averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Recall or HotJot Notes have ads?
Neither Recall nor HotJot Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Recall or HotJot Notes?
Recall ships an update every 3 months, and HotJot Notes every 2 months. Most recently, Recall was updated on July 28, 2026 and HotJot Notes on September 18, 2026.

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