# turtle vs ThoughtTrace

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: turtle at none against ThoughtTrace's 1. turtle also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ThoughtTrace sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. turtle asks for nothing beyond the download.

turtle ships an update every 5 days, ThoughtTrace every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | turtle | ThoughtTrace |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Size | 64 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [HOSEONG HWANG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1792356220) | [JUNICHI WATANABE](https://appshunter.io/developer/1837543582) |

## What reviewers say

### turtle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/turtle-for-your-mandalart/id6740967723)

**In-app purchases:** none


### ThoughtTrace

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thoughttrace-brain-dump-notes/id6777566567)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Plan (Lifetime) | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is turtle free?

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

### Is ThoughtTrace free?

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

### Do turtle or ThoughtTrace have ads?

ThoughtTrace shows ads; turtle does not.

### Which is updated more often, turtle or ThoughtTrace?

turtle ships an update every 5 days, and ThoughtTrace every 3 weeks. Most recently, turtle was updated on October 25, 2026 and ThoughtTrace on October 31, 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.*