# zero vs Cleft

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: zero at none against Cleft's 2. zero also leads on iOS requirement (13.4 vs 17.0). Cleft's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Cleft sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. zero asks for nothing beyond the download.

zero ships an update every 4 months, Cleft monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | zero | Cleft |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.7 (70 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cleft-for-verbal-thinkers/id6479458038/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **70** |
| Positive reviews | — | 80.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Size | 34 MB | 270 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.4** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Cole Stites-Clayton](https://appshunter.io/developer/1734279918) | [Cleft AI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1736012358) |

## What reviewers say

### zero

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zero-carbon-agent/id6478878756)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none


### Cleft

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cleft-for-verbal-thinkers/id6479458038)

This app is designed for verbal thinkers to capture their thoughts out loud, without typing. It offers real-time transcription, offline functionality, and smart organization. Ideal for those who prefer speaking their ideas, it provides a frictionless way to record and manage notes.

**Highlights:** Live transcription, Offline-first functionality, One-tap voice capture, Smart organization, Markdown export, Apple Watch support, On-device transcription

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Plus Plan | $6.99 | per month |
| Annual Plus Plan | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent transcription quality
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 💡 Helpful summarization and formatting
- 🚀 Seamless cross-device experience
- 👍 Responsive and helpful support team

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unreliable recording and syncing issues
- 🐛 Glitchy and unusable after recent update
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance and frequent errors

**Reported bugs**

- Recording stops working after initial use
- Inability to append to existing notes
- Manual sync never works as expected
- Lack of support for non-English languages

**Requested features**

- Increase maximum recording time
- Improve editing and toggling between modes
- Add ability to retry processing failed summaries
- Allow custom storage locations for notes and audio
- Enhance integration with Obsidian and other tools


## Frequently asked questions

### Is zero free?

zero is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Cleft free?

Cleft is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do zero or Cleft have ads?

Neither zero nor Cleft shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, zero or Cleft?

zero ships an update every 4 months, and Cleft monthly. Most recently, zero was updated on October 18, 2026 and Cleft on October 20, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*