Comparison

Cat Scribe vs Tide Reading List

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

Head to head
About

Cat Scribe

Features
Read full description

Capture notebook pages and convert them into clean digital text with Cat Scribe. Use your camera to scan handwritten notes, pick your preferred extraction engine, and quickly copy or send results to Drafts. Cat Scribe is built for fast personal note capture with a simple workflow and minimal friction.

About

Tide Reading List

This app helps you manage your reading list by giving you a 30-day limit for each article. It encourages you to read content before it expires, preventing accumulation. Features include offline reading, text-to-speech, and customizable reminders.

Highlights
  • 30-day article expiration
  • Reading View for clean text
  • Text-to-speech functionality
  • Offline reading support
  • Customizable reminders
  • Widgets for quick access
Features
Read full description

Tide is a reading list that doesn't let things pile up. Save an article and you get 30 days to read it. Then it flows out. No exceptions, no snooze button. Most reading lists turn into a guilt pile. Tide doesn't. Every article shows how much of its tide is left, so you can see what's about to go and actually read it. And if it flows out, it probably wasn't that important. If it was, it'll wash up again. Saving In Safari or any app, tap Share and choose Tide. It's saved right away, and you can fix the title before closing if you want. You can also paste a link in the app or save from Shortcuts. Reading Tap an article to read it. Turn on Reading View in Settings and articles open as clean text, without clutter. If a site doesn't work that way, it just opens the normal page. On iPad or with your iPhone turned sideways, your list and the article sit side by side. Listening Tide can read articles to you. Touch and hold an article and choose Listen, or ask Siri to "Read my next article in Tide." It keeps going with your phone locked, and it remembers where you stopped. Offline Tide keeps a clean copy of every article, so you can still read on a plane or the subway. Reminders Get a heads-up before something flows out. You pick how many days ahead, or turn reminders off. Widgets • Flowing Out shows what's leaving soonest. • Surprise Me picks a random article for you, with a shuffle button. Done reading When you finish an article, mark it done and it's gone. That's the point. Private Tide doesn't collect anything. No accounts, no tracking. Your list stays on your device, and reading aloud happens on your device too. 30 days. Read it or let it go.

Screenshots

Cat Scribe4 screens
Tide Reading List3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Tide Reading List at every 2 weeks against Cat Scribe's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cat Scribe ships an update every 2 months, Tide Reading List every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Cat Scribe versus Tide Reading List: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCat ScribeTide Reading List
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDavid DegnerWilliam Mattheis

In-app purchases

None

Cat Scribe

No in-app purchases

None

Tide Reading List

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cat Scribe free?
Cat Scribe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tide Reading List free?
Tide Reading List is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Cat Scribe or Tide Reading List have ads?
Neither Cat Scribe nor Tide Reading List shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cat Scribe or Tide Reading List?
Cat Scribe ships an update every 2 months, and Tide Reading List every 2 weeks. Most recently, Cat Scribe was updated on October 25, 2026 and Tide Reading List on October 20, 2026.

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