Comparison

Smart Notes vs Open Minis

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

Head to head
About

Smart Notes

Record your thoughts and have them transcribed into text. This app organizes your spoken words into searchable notes and can generate summaries, recaps, or action items using AI. Customize vocabulary for better accuracy and manage your notes locally.

Highlights
  • Speech-to-text transcription
  • AI-generated summaries
  • Personalized vocabulary dictionary
  • Local note storage and search
  • Multiple language support
  • Export notes and dictionary
Features
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Speak your thoughts. Keep what matters. Smart Voice Notes turns speech into text and helps you organize it into notes you can revisit. Capture a meeting discussion, talk through a lesson, or save an idea before it slips away. SEE YOUR WORDS AS YOU SPEAK Tap record to transcribe with Apple's native speech recognition. Confirmed text stays clear while a blue cursor follows new words. Choose Chinese, English, Japanese, or Korean on the home screen before recording, matching the language being spoken. MAKE LONG NOTES USEFUL Create a summary, detailed recap, key points, meeting notes, or action items. Copy the result, save it separately, or keep it with the original text. Review AI-generated content before relying on it. FIND YOUR WAY BACK Notes are stored on your device. Search, edit, sort, and delete them, so a quick thought can become something you return to and build on. PREPARE YOUR VOCABULARY Add names, product terms, and specialist vocabulary to your personal dictionary to provide hints for speech recognition. KNOW WHAT YOU SHARE Transcription and local notes work without an account. The app does not retain original audio recordings. Speech recognition may require a network connection depending on your device, system, and language. AI summaries use on-device capabilities when available. Before cloud processing, the app explains the recipients and purpose and asks for your consent to send the selected text. Cloud AI requires Sign in with Apple. Export notes and dictionary entries or delete local data in Privacy Settings. MADE FOR EVERYDAY MOMENTS • Turn meeting discussions into points to review and next steps. • Talk through what you are learning and keep a study note. • Capture an idea now and refine it later. • Keep useful parts of interviews and conversations with participants' consent. The interface is available in English and Simplified Chinese. Recognition language is selected manually; automatic spoken-language detection is not provided. The free plan includes 30 transcriptions and 10 AI summaries each month. Monthly and yearly Pro subscriptions remove usage-count limits for transcription and AI summaries while active. Feature availability depends on your device, system, network, and service availability. SUBSCRIPTIONS Payment is charged to your Apple account at confirmation. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage or cancel in your Apple account subscription settings. Prices are shown on the purchase screen. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Open Minis

This AI agent runs locally on your device, taking actions like browsing the web, managing your schedule, and controlling smart home devices. It integrates deeply with iOS frameworks and allows you to bring your own API keys from various AI providers. Customize its capabilities with a skills system and enjoy persistent memory for a personalized experience.

Highlights
  • On-device AI agent
  • Multi-model AI provider support
  • Deep iOS framework integration
  • Built-in web browser
  • Customizable skills system
  • Persistent memory
  • Siri Shortcuts integration
Features
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Minis — Local-First On-Device AI Agent Minis is a local-first, on-device AI agent that goes beyond chat. All your data stays on your iPhone — nothing is uploaded to a server by default. Running locally means lower latency and stronger privacy, while the agent still takes real action: browsing the web, accessing your health data, managing your schedule, controlling your smart home, and automating complex tasks. Local-First AI Agent Unlike cloud-only chatbots, Minis runs directly on your device and keeps your data there. The agent executes multi-step tasks autonomously, using tools and native iOS frameworks to get things done — not just answer questions, and not just relay everything to the cloud. Multi-Model, Your Choice Bring your own API key. Choose from leading AI providers: • Anthropic Claude • OpenAI GPT • Google Gemini • DeepSeek • Kimi (Moonshot AI) • OpenRouter • Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint Deep iOS Integration The agent accesses Apple frameworks natively: • HealthKit — steps, heart rate, sleep, workouts, SpO₂ • Calendar & Reminders — create events, check availability, manage tasks • HomeKit — control lights, switches, scenes, and smart accessories • Photos — search, organize, and export from your library • Location & Maps — current location, directions, nearby POIs • Vision — OCR text recognition, object detection, barcode scanning • Speech — real-time transcription and text-to-speech • Weather — current conditions, hourly and daily forecasts Built-in Web Browser Navigate pages, take screenshots, extract content, fill forms, and interact with websites — all driven by the AI agent in the background. Skills System Import or create custom AI skills to extend the agent's capabilities. Share skills with others or build your own for specialized workflows. Persistent Memory The agent remembers your preferences, project context, and recurring patterns across sessions — building a personalized assistant that improves over time, all stored locally on your device. Siri Shortcuts Automate AI tasks with Siri and the Shortcuts app. Send prompts with file attachments, wait for results, and chain into complex workflows — all hands-free. Privacy by Design Your API keys and data stay on-device. Fine-grained permission controls let you decide exactly which personal data the agent can access. No account required. No data collected.

Screenshots

Smart Notes4 screens
Open Minis4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Open Minis at none against Smart Notes's 2. Open Minis also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (98 vs 1). On price, rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Smart Notes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Open Minis asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Smart Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Open Minis has 98 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Smart Notes ships an update every 2 months, Open Minis weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Smart Notes versus Open Minis: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmart NotesOpen Minis
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.8 (98 ratings)
Positive reviews—96.1% of reviews
Number of ratings198 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB398 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperShiSen Li森 王

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Smart Notes

Subscriptions2
  • WhisMemo Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • WhisMemo Pro Yearly$49.991 Year
None

Open Minis

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Smart Notes free?
Smart Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Open Minis free?
Open Minis is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Smart Notes or Open Minis?
Smart Notes is rated higher. Smart Notes averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Open Minis averages 4.8 from 98 ratings.
Do Smart Notes or Open Minis have ads?
Neither Smart Notes nor Open Minis shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Smart Notes or Open Minis?
Smart Notes ships an update every 2 months, and Open Minis weekly. Most recently, Smart Notes was updated on October 30, 2026 and Open Minis on November 5, 2026.

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