Stenographer vs Cubic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Stenographer
This app offers on-device audio recording and transcription, ensuring complete privacy as your data never leaves your device. It utilizes advanced AI for accurate speech processing, summarization, and multilingual support, with a one-time purchase for unlimited use.
- 100% on-device processing
- No subscriptions, one-time purchase
- Discreet background recording
- AI-powered transcription and summarization
- Intelligent search and tagging
- Multilingual transcription and translation
- Cross-device synchronization
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Record conversations. Keep the words. Revisit what mattered. Stenographer 3.0 brings local recording, transcription and source-linked Chat into a cleaner workspace on iPhone and iPad, with Apple Watch recording as a companion. • Record on iPhone or Apple Watch and keep continuous capture together as one conversation. • Read transcripts, play original audio, search words and tags, and edit speaker names. • See live text when processing is available; saved audio remains available when processing is deferred. • Ask about a conversation or your library. Numbered sources open the captured passages behind an answer. • Review action targets before opening, playing, sharing or deleting recordings. LOCAL RECORDING AND TRANSCRIPTION Audio is recorded locally. Watch audio transfers to the paired iPhone for processing. Small multilingual transcription is included and works offline. Settings also offers downloadable Large multilingual; it needs more memory and processing time. Settings also offers optional Distil English-only transcription. Your multilingual settings are saved for switching back. The app shows the selected and actual model, preparation progress and recovery options. Some model failures can use Small while preserving your Large selection. LOCAL AI Apple Intelligence is the default local Chat option on supported, ready devices. You can download and select Qwen3.5-4B for local use. Automatic summaries and tags stay local. Keep the phone app active and idle for pending automatic work to finish. Model availability and speed vary with device, OS, language, downloaded assets and workload. OPTIONAL CLOUD CHAT Bring your own OpenAI, Anthropic or OpenRouter API key and choose a provider model. Keys are stored in device Keychain. Explicit consent is required before cloud Chat sends your current question, selected transcript passages and recording dates and identifiers to the selected provider. Audio files and voice profiles are not sent. OpenRouter may route to another provider. Provider data policies and account charges apply. Failed requests do not silently switch providers. AI, transcripts and speaker attribution can contain mistakes or omissions. Check the original audio and source passages. Sharing uses your chosen destination; deletion requires confirmation.
Cubic
Transform passive reading into active learning by saving articles, organizing content, and creating reviewable flashcards from your highlights. Discover new material through RSS feeds or curated collections and track your learning progress over time.
- Discover content via RSS feeds and curated collections
- Save articles and organize into a personal library
- Add notes and highlights to saved content
- Convert highlights into reviewable flashcards
- Track reading habits and learning trends
- Organize content for recall
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Cubic - Turn what you read into what you remember Cubic helps you move from passive browsing to active learning. Discover great content, save what matters, and revisit it in a way that actually sticks. DISCOVER WITH INTENT Follow RSS feeds or explore curated collections across topics like tech, design, and business. COLLECT WHAT MATTERS Save articles, organize them into your personal library, and add notes or highlights as you read. REFLECT TO REMEMBER Your highlights become reviewable flash cards, helping you retain ideas over time. A SMOOTHER READING FLOW Swipe through articles and uncover interesting ideas without juggling tabs. BUILD YOUR KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM All your content, notes, and insights—organized for recall, not just storage. TRACK YOUR LEARNING See reading habits and trends to understand what you consume and how you grow. If you read a lot but forget most of it, Cubic gives you a simple system: discover → collect → reflect. ---- Support: Check out https://cubic.surf/faq or contact feedback@cubic.surf Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy: https://cubic.surf/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Cubic at Free against Stenographer's $4.99. Cubic also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3). Stenographer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ratings volume, 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
Cubic is free to download; Stenographer costs $4.99 up front. Cubic sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Stenographer asks for nothing beyond the download.
Cubic holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.
Stenographer ships an update every 9 days, Cubic weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Stenographer | Cubic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 87.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Freemium — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 — better | 18.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 501 MB | 64 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Caleb Phillips | ARPIT MATHUR |
Customer experience
Stenographer
Cubic
In-app purchases
Stenographer
No in-app purchases
Cubic
- Cubic Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
- Cubic Pro Yearly$14.991 Year









