Comparison

Sideboard vs Stylus

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

Head to head
About

Sideboard

This app displays your upcoming and in-progress meetings, showing the time until your next event or the remaining time in your current meeting. It offers widgets for your home screen and can run in standby mode for continuous visibility of your schedule.

Highlights
  • View upcoming and in-progress meetings
  • Time until next meeting display
  • Current meeting duration tracking
  • Home screen widgets
  • Standby mode for continuous display
Features
Read full description

Sideboard is designed to summarise your upcoming meetings and enhance your productivity See Your Day: Sideboard will quickly show your upcoming or in progress meetings, and show how long until the next meeting (or how long the current meeting has left to run) This lets you see at a glance how your day is looking Put it on your dock: The iOS and iPad app is designed to be run "on the side" - hence the name! Our widgets are even better than the app!: Sideboard has a range of widgets that can be added to your home screen, showing your upcoming meetings, or the current meeting Running in standby mode is perfect for showing you your next meeting!

About

Stylus

This task manager helps you focus on today's priorities without overwhelming features. It encourages a daily review of tasks, allowing you to decide what still matters, and supports rapid capture of new ideas.

Highlights
  • Daily task review and prioritization
  • Focus on one task at a time
  • Rapid task capture
  • Control Centre and Live Activities integration
  • Widgets for at-a-glance progress
  • Siri and Shortcuts support
  • iCloud sync across devices
Features
Read full description

Begin every day with a fresh start. Stylus is the task manager for people who are tired of bloated productivity apps. No endless backlogs. No guilt-inducing overdue tasks. Just today's priorities, beautifully organised and ready for action. Most to-do apps bury you in features. Stylus takes a different approach: it helps you focus on what matters right now. HOW IT WORKS Daily Review: Every morning, Stylus presents yesterday's unfinished tasks and asks one simple question: does this still matter today? This daily ritual keeps your list intentional and your mind clear. No task carries over automatically — you choose what deserves your attention. One Thing at a Time: Stylus is organised around your priorities. Work through tasks in order, stay present with what's in front of you, and move on. Helpful friction prevents needless over-tracking and keeps you focused on positive action. Rapid Capture: When something pops into your head, get it into Stylus instantly. Capture thoughts before they disappear, then prioritise them during your next review. DEEPLY INTEGRATED Stylus can't be compared to a web app — it's woven into the way you already use your devices. - Control Centre: Check off tasks without even opening the app - Live Activities: See your current task right on your Lock Screen - Widgets: Track your progress at a glance from your Home Screen - Siri & Shortcuts: Add tasks with your voice or automate your workflow - iCloud Sync: Seamless across iPhone, iPad, and Mac Stylus is deliberately simple. There are no Gantt charts, no collaboration features, no project management overhead. If you've ever abandoned a to-do app because it felt like a second job to maintain, Stylus was built for you. - Smart prioritisation that adapts as your day evolves - Gentle reminders that keep you on track without adding stress - A beautiful, distraction-free interface designed for iOS 26 - Markdown notes for adding context to any task - Search and diary features to look back on what you've accomplished FLEXIBLE PLANS Stylus is free to use. Upgrade to Stylus Premium for the full experience, including unlimited tasks, advanced widgets, and priority support. Available as monthly, annual, or lifetime plans — with Family Sharing support. Start today. Focus on what matters.

Screenshots

Sideboard3 screens
Stylus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sideboard at 4.0 against Stylus's 3.0. Sideboard also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 6) and device support (5 vs 2). Stylus's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and iOS requirement 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. Stylus sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Sideboard asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sideboard holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sideboard ships an update every 2 months, Stylus every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Sideboard versus Stylus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSideboardStylus
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJOHN ANDREW POLLARDRobert Owen

Customer experience

Sideboard

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Stylus

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Sideboard

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Stylus

Subscriptions4
  • Stylus Premium (Monthly)7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Stylus Premium (Monthly)7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Stylus Premium (Annual)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Stylus Premium (Annual)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • Stylus Lifetime$59.99
  • Stylus Lifetime - Family$89.99

Questions

Is Sideboard free?
Sideboard is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Stylus free?
Stylus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sideboard or Stylus?
Sideboard is rated higher. Sideboard averages 4.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Stylus averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Sideboard or Stylus have ads?
Neither Sideboard nor Stylus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sideboard or Stylus?
Sideboard ships an update every 2 months, and Stylus every 11 days. Most recently, Sideboard was updated on October 3, 2026 and Stylus on September 28, 2026.

Other comparisons