Cleft vs the hubbub
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cleft
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.
- Live transcription
- Offline-first functionality
- One-tap voice capture
- Smart organization
- Markdown export
- Apple Watch support
- On-device transcription
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You're a verbal thinker. Cleft captures thoughts before they vanish. The way you think. Out loud. On device, even offline. Featured in Fast Company's "25 Best New Apps." Capture on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or CarPlay. Wherever a thought lands. "You've built one of the BEST apps for ADHD people." - Jenner, Entrepreneur KEY FEATURES • Spotlight Search - Find any note instantly from anywhere • Fast Transcription - Keeps up with how fast you talk • One-Tap Capture - Voice to text in seconds • Pick Up Anytime - Add to yesterday's thought. Or any note, whenever the next one lands • Siri & Shortcuts - Search notes, get summaries, export by voice • Apple Watch - Record notes from your wrist • CarPlay - Capture hands-free while driving • Recording at a Glance - Dynamic Island, Lock Screen • Keyboard Shortcuts - Fast navigation without leaving the keyboard • Widgets - Pin a thought, resume your last, or capture fresh from your home screen • Offline-First - Works without internet, syncs when connected • Smart Organization - Capture first. Organize never. • Markdown Export - Edit and format your notes • Privacy by Design - On-device transcription, encrypted storage "When I looked at what was written, it was like 'My God, somebody got me here.'" - 73-year-old farrier, first time user BUILT FOR HOW YOU THINK Accessibility isn't a feature here. It's the foundation. Cleft was made by people with ADHD, Autism, and Dysgraphia, for people who think the same way. Capture ideas without losing your flow. No system to manage. Rambles welcome. "Fits my brain like a glove." - Rafa, Founder CAPTURE ANYTHING Meeting notes • Creative ideas • Article drafts • To-do lists • Project docs • Daily journals • Quick thoughts CLEFT PLUS ($6.99/mo or $39.99/yr — annual works out to $3.33/mo) • 30-minute recordings • Customize Cleft - tell it how you want notes shaped • Notion auto-send + Obsidian & Apple Notes integrations • Zapier & Shortcuts automation • Family Sharing on annual - share Plus with up to 6 people "$39 a year for this is ridiculously low." - Legal tech advisor Subscriptions auto-renew until canceled. Manage in App Store settings. AS FEATURED IN Fast Company • The Verge • Lifehacker • GeekWire • TechCrunch • Snazzy Labs Try Cleft Free. Change Log: https://cleftnotes.com/changelog/ Terms: https://cleftnotes.com/terms Privacy: https://cleftnotes.com/privacy
the hubbub
Transform your device into a beautiful, always-on display for essential information. Get real-time weather, transit times, and a clear clock without needing to interact with your phone. Designed for calm, focused daily awareness.
- Always-on display
- Customizable clock
- Real-time weather updates
- Live transit arrival times
- Landscape-first design
- No ads or tracking
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creating daily calm in the hubbub. the hubbub turns your phone or tablet into a beautiful always-on display console. Set it on your counter, nightstand, or shelf, and without ever picking it up, you'll know everything you need to move through your day. No scrolling. No rabbit holes. Just your information, always in view. Getting started takes two minutes. Tell us the lines you take and the direction you go and we find your nearby stations automatically. Enter your city or use your location for weather. That's it. What's on your display Clock A large, beautiful time display that auto-scales to fill your screen. Always on, always readable from across the room. Weather Current temperature, feels-like, and today's high and low. Enter your city or use your location. Updates every 30 minutes. Transit Times Live MTA subway and bus arrival times for your lines. Tell us your commute and we find the right stations automatically. Know when to leave without looking it up. Designed to live on your counter, not in your pocket. - Landscape-first: Optimized for horizontal viewing. Dock your phone on a stand and it becomes a beautiful home display. - Always on: The screen stays awake so your dashboard is ready every time you glance up. No tapping, no unlocking. - Your data, only: No ads, no tracking, no social feed. the hubbub shows your information and nothing else. Built for New York City. Live MTA data for subway lines across the five boroughs. More cities coming soon.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: the hubbub at none against Cleft's 2. the hubbub also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (100% vs 80%). Cleft's advantage is ratings volume (70 vs 3). On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. Cleft sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. the hubbub asks for nothing beyond the download.
the hubbub holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cleft has 70 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Cleft's written reviews are positive against 100% of the hubbub's.
Cleft ships an update monthly, the hubbub every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cleft | the hubbub |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (70 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 80.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 70 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 270 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Cleft AI | Time For Ventures LLC |
Customer experience
Cleft
the hubbub
Bugs and requests
Cleft
Reported bugs
4 issues- 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
6 requests- 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
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- Expand Shortcuts and automation capabilities
the hubbub
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Cleft
- Monthly Plus Plan$6.991 Month
- Annual Plus Plan$39.991 Year
the hubbub
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Cleft free?
Is the hubbub free?
Which has better reviews, Cleft or the hubbub?
Do Cleft or the hubbub have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cleft or the hubbub?
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