Comparison

Steno Notes vs Token

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

Head to head
About

Steno Notes

Features
Read full description

Steno is a fast, distraction-free Markdown editor designed for focused, beautiful writing. Built natively for Apple platforms with CloudKit, Steno keeps your documents automatically synced across your devices—without ads, tracking, or external servers. Why Steno? • Seamless iCloud sync across Mac, iPhone, and iPad • Native performance—no bloat, no lag, just fast • Clean typography with powerful, design-forward customization • Sub-block-level references for linking directly to the exact passage you mean • Deep system integration—Handoff, Spotlight, Siri, and Widgets • Customizable PDF export for polished sharing • No data collection, no AI. Your documents stay on your device and in iCloud • All documents stored as plain Markdown files Whether you're drafting essays, making lists, or capturing ideas, Steno combines speed, clarity, and privacy in a focused writing environment.

About

Token

This app provides a private AI studio on your iPhone, allowing you to download and run various open AI models locally. Engage in conversations, generate images, and utilize tools like web search and document analysis, all while keeping your data secure on your device.

Highlights
  • Download and run open AI models locally
  • On-device chat, reasoning, and coding
  • Image generation with local models
  • Voice conversations with on-device speech recognition
  • Private by design, no account or ads
  • Local API server for compatible tools
Features
Read full description

Token AI is a private AI studio for your iPhone. Download open models, run them on the device, and keep every conversation on your iPhone. FRONTIER MODELS ON YOUR IPHONE • Experimental 35-billion-parameter mixture-of-experts models, Edge0 35B and MiniCPM-V 4.7 35B, stream their experts from storage. They need a large download, and MiniCPM-V 35B needs an iPhone with 12 GB of memory. • Ternary Bonsai 2 9B and Bonsai 27B: ternary and 1-bit models that fit more capability into iPhone memory, with text and image understanding. • Qwen3.5, Qwen3, Llama 3, Gemma, Phi-3.5, LFM2.5, Nemotron and Granite, in MLX, GGUF and Apple Core AI formats. • Import your own compatible MLX or GGUF models from Files. CHAT, REASON AND CODE • Reasoning models show their thinking, and long chats are compacted to stay within the model's context window. • Attach photos and files in any chat. Vision models read images directly; other models get a description from an on-device visual model. • Choose a model for each conversation, pin chats, and search every message. • Optional web search, a document knowledge base and GitHub repository tools. LENS, VOICE AND IMAGES • Lens: use the camera or a photo and ask about it with SmolVLM 2, Gemma 3 and other vision models. • Voice conversations with on-device speech recognition (Whisper) and natural voices (Kokoro, Kitten TTS). • Image Studio: create pictures with Stable Diffusion, SDXL Turbo and other local image models, with optional PIN-protected parental controls. FOR BUILDERS • An authenticated local API server for OpenAI-, Anthropic- and Ollama-compatible tools on your trusted network. • Optional API providers with your own keys. • An on-device classifier workbench, Shortcuts and Siri actions, a share extension, and Live Activities for downloads. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, analytics or ads. Conversations are stored only on your iPhone. Model downloads, web search, API providers and GitHub use the network only when you turn them on. Requires iOS 27 or later. Works on iPhone Duo. Available models depend on your iPhone's memory, and model files are downloaded separately and can need several gigabytes of storage. AI results can be inaccurate; review them before relying on them.

Screenshots

Steno Notes4 screens
Token4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Token at none against Steno Notes's 4. Steno Notes's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement 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. Steno Notes sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Token asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Steno Notes ships an update every 3 days, Token every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Steno Notes versus Token: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSteno NotesToken
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.0 — better27.0
Further details — not scored
Size89 MB189 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMikail KraftMESUT CAN YAGCI

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Steno Notes

One-time4
  • Tip Jar (Small)$0.99
  • Tip Jar (Medium)$2.99
  • Steno Complete$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Steno Tip (Large)$4.99
None

Token

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Steno Notes free?
Steno Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Token free?
Token is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Steno Notes or Token have ads?
Neither Steno Notes nor Token shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Steno Notes or Token?
Steno Notes ships an update every 3 days, and Token every 2 days. Most recently, Steno Notes was updated on October 26, 2026 and Token on November 1, 2026.

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