Comparison

SimpleNote vs Volocal

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

Head to head
About

SimpleNote

Features
Read full description

SimpleNote – Your smart task & notes app Organize your day in style – from quick thoughts to important reminders. With SimpleNote, you can take notes, manage tasks, and get reminded – all in one clean and elegant interface. Key Features β€’ Create tasks with title, description & category β€’ Set due dates and reminders β€’ Organized views: Work, Personal, Important & more β€’ Dark mode – optimized for day & night use β€’ Local storage – your data stays on your device β€’ Create & manage tasks efficiently Privacy first Your tasks are never stored in the cloud. No account needed. No hidden trackers. Whether it’s a spontaneous idea or structured planning – SimpleNote brings clarity to your everyday life. Download now and get organized!

About

Volocal

Features
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Talk to an AI assistant that runs entirely on your iPhone. No cloud servers, no API keys, no subscriptions -- just real-time voice conversations powered by on-device intelligence. FULLY PRIVATE, FULLY LOCAL Every word you say stays on your device. Volocal runs three specialized AI models directly on your iPhone's hardware -- nothing is ever sent to the internet. After downloading the models on first launch, you never need a network connection again. REAL-TIME VOICE CONVERSATIONS Speak naturally and hear responses streamed back in real-time. Volocal uses a three-stage pipeline -- Speech-to-Text, Language Model, and Text-to-Speech -- all running simultaneously on different chips inside your phone for smooth, low-latency conversations. INTERRUPT ANYTIME Change your mind mid-sentence? Just start talking. Volocal supports barge-in with hardware echo cancellation, so the microphone stays active even while the assistant is speaking. No need to wait for it to finish. NO SUBSCRIPTIONS, NO API KEYS Volocal is completely free and open source. There are no in-app purchases, no subscriptions, and no hidden costs. Download the models once (~2.3 GB, Wi-Fi recommended) and you're set. HOW IT WORKS Volocal splits the workload across your iPhone's specialized processors: - Speech recognition (Parakeet EOU) runs on the Neural Engine - Language model (Qwen3.5-2B) runs on the GPU via Metal - Text-to-speech (PocketTTS) runs on the Neural Engine This separation means all three models can run at the same time without competing for resources, keeping conversations fluid and responsive. LIGHTWEIGHT Total runtime memory usage is approximately 1.2 GB, well within the limits of modern iPhones. REQUIREMENTS - iOS 17 or later - Physical device only (Neural Engine is not available in the Simulator) - ~2.3 GB of storage for model downloads on first launch Volocal is MIT licensed and open source. Built by Fikri Karim.

Screenshots

SimpleNote4 screens
Volocal2 screens

Verdict

The call

SimpleNote and Volocal are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters β€” price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them β€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
SimpleNote versus Volocal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimpleNoteVolocal
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsβ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.617.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size2 MB13 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperPatrick LanhamFikri Karim

In-app purchases

None

SimpleNote

No in-app purchases

None

Volocal

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SimpleNote free?
SimpleNote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Volocal free?
Volocal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SimpleNote or Volocal have ads?
Neither SimpleNote nor Volocal shows ads.

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