RIFT NOTES + Voice Memos vs Outerline
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RIFT NOTES + Voice Memos
Capture thoughts instantly with a message-like interface and organize them on a map. Enjoy a distraction-free writing space that syncs automatically with iCloud, with no ads or trackers. Customize your experience with themes and instant search.
- Message-like note capture
- Location-based note organization
- iCloud sync
- Instant search with previews
- Hashtag organization
- Markdown and iCloud export
- Customizable themes
Read full descriptionHide full description
Rift Notes is the fastest way to get a thought down. Type it like a text. Speak it, transcribed offline. Snap a photo. Every note remembers where you were. Pick up where you left off on iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Privacy-first: no ads, no sign-ups, no subscription, no trackers. Your thoughts, under your control. Three Ways to Capture • Type it like a text. A message-style compose card means thoughts hit paper as fast as you think them. • Speak it. On-device transcription (no internet needed) turns spoken notes into clean, searchable text. • Snap it. 4-up camera attaches photos to text and voice in one note. Built for Thinking • Sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac via iCloud. Pick up where you left off on any device. • Map your notes. Every note saves its location. Retrace your day, find that door code, or replay the voice memo right on the map where you recorded it. • Focus mode. Distraction-free writing, also great for screenshots. • Themes. Match the vibe with a growing library, including the premium 'Scary Numbers' set. • Rich-text editing renders bold, italics, headers, checklists or numbered lists as you type. • #Hashtag organization and color tags. Filter your notes instantly. • Quick Bar. Jump between notes, search, and views without leaving the keyboard. • Smarter search. Full-text with line-preview results and instant filtering by tag or color. • Markdown + iCloud. Every note auto-syncs as a .md file with frontmatter to your iCloud Drive. Read them in any markdown app. No lock-in, ever. • Shortcuts support. Save notes or append text from anywhere on iOS. Powerpack: One-Time Purchase for Life The Mobile Powerpack unlocks voice transcription, photo notes, map view, iCloud sync, and themes on iPhone and iPad. Powerpack is also available for Mac. Privacy First • Voice transcription runs on-device. Your audio stays in your iCloud. • All of your content, notes and attachments sync only through your iCloud. • No ads. No sign-ups. No AI training. • Anonymous crash reporting and anonymous usage is optional. Opt out anytime in Settings. • We collect crash reports and anonymous usage to improve the product, that's it. • Note on app size: to transcribe voice privately offline, we ship a Whisper model with the app. Your notes are yours. Free to download. Powerpack is a one-time purchase, no subscription, no signup.
Outerline
A fast, fluid Markdown editor for macOS and iOS that prioritizes your writing and file ownership. It offers robust features for organizing, linking, and exporting notes, all while working offline and without requiring an account.
- Offline Markdown editing
- File ownership with .md files
- Live syntax highlighting
- Keyboard toolbar for formatting
- In-document search and word count
- Wiki links and note connections
- Export to Markdown, HTML, PDF
- Mermaid diagram rendering
Read full descriptionHide full description
Outerline gives you space to think and space to write. A fast, fluid Markdown editor with no server, no database, and no clutter. Truly native on macOS and iOS. It works offline, opens instantly, and stays out of your way so you can just write. YOUR FILES STAY YOURS Every note is an ordinary .md file in a folder you choose, on your iPhone, in iCloud Drive, or anywhere in Files. No proprietary format and no account required to write. Open the same folder in any other Markdown app whenever you like, and take your work with you if you ever leave. A WRITING SURFACE, NOT A DASHBOARD • Live syntax highlighting, with each heading level at its own size • A keyboard toolbar with the formatting you actually reach for • Smart lists that continue, indent, and break out the way you expect • Auto-pairing brackets, quotes, and backticks • In-document search, word count, and reading time • Editor and preview, a tap apart • Choose your typeface, size, line height, and preview theme • Autosave, so a draft is never waiting on you to remember FIND ANYTHING FAST Full-text search across your whole library. Nested folders, Starred and All Documents views, and colored #tags you write inline and filter by later. Swipe to star, move, or delete. CONNECT YOUR IDEAS Link notes with [[wiki links]] and an autocomplete palette. The inspector shows what points here, each with a line of context and the folder it came from, keeps every external link in one place, and jumps you to any heading in the document. ANNOTATE WITHOUT TOUCHING THE MARKDOWN Highlight passages in five colors, attach notes to them, and leave anchored comments on any selection. Annotations live beside your files, so your Markdown stays clean and portable. NEVER LOSE A DRAFT Automatic timestamped snapshots, a diff viewer, and one-tap restore. Deleted notes move to Recently Deleted, where you can bring them back. WORK WITH SIRI AND SHORTCUTS Ask Siri to create or find a note, and use Shortcuts to open or append to one. On iOS 27, Siri and Apple Intelligence can use the open document as context on supported devices. Availability depends on language, region, and system settings. No Outerline account or subscription required. EXPORT, DIAGRAM, AND BACK UP Export any note as Markdown, HTML, or PDF. Write Mermaid diagrams in fenced code blocks and see them render in preview and in exports, entirely offline. Zip your whole library, metadata included, whenever you want a backup. THE SAME NOTES ON YOUR MAC This is the whole app, not a companion. Outerline for macOS syncs the same library as iOS, while adding split view, Quick Look, and an optional local Model Context Protocol server for AI assistants. Buy Outerline once on either platform and use it on both. Your Outerline account and Publish subscription carry across seamlessly. OUTERLINE PUBLISH (OPTIONAL) Publish a note to a link anyone can open, then keep it current as you save. Publishing needs a free Outerline account and an Outerline Publish subscription. Everything else in Outerline works without either. Outerline Publish is an auto-renewing monthly subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase, and renews automatically unless you turn it off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://outerline.so/support/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://outerline.so/support/privacy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: RIFT NOTES + Voice Memos at Free against Outerline's $9.99. RIFT NOTES + Voice Memos also leads on ratings volume (9 vs 1) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Outerline's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
RIFT NOTES + Voice Memos is free to download; Outerline costs $9.99 up front. RIFT NOTES + Voice Memos sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Outerline sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Outerline holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RIFT NOTES + Voice Memos has 9 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
RIFT NOTES + Voice Memos ships an update weekly, Outerline every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RIFT NOTES + Voice Memos | Outerline |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (9 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 9 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 147 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Primary Vector Inc. | Adam Goehrig-Bawany |
Customer experience
RIFT NOTES + Voice Memos
Outerline
In-app purchases
RIFT NOTES + Voice Memos
- Theme - Scary Numbers$1.99
- RIFT Notes Powerpack for Mobile$14.99
- RIFT Notes Powerpack for Mac$14.99
Outerline
- Outerline Publish$1.991 Month
- Small Tip$1.99
- Outerline Tip Medium$4.99
- Large Tip$9.99
Questions
Is RIFT NOTES + Voice Memos free?
Is Outerline free?
Which has better reviews, RIFT NOTES + Voice Memos or Outerline?
Do RIFT NOTES + Voice Memos or Outerline have ads?
Which is updated more often, RIFT NOTES + Voice Memos or Outerline?
Other comparisons















