# Cleft vs eQED

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: eQED at none against Cleft's 2. eQED also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Cleft's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Cleft | eQED |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 270 MB | 59 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Cleft AI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1736012358) | [Qed Qed llc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1697266559) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### eQED

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eqed/id6747327553)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Cleft free?

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

### Is eQED free?

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

### Do Cleft or eQED have ads?

Neither Cleft nor eQED shows ads.

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

Cleft ships an update monthly, and eQED monthly. Most recently, Cleft was updated on October 20, 2026 and eQED on October 5, 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.*