Comparison

HotJot Notes vs Ki

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

Head to head
About

HotJot Notes

Capture ideas, photos, and thoughts quickly using a familiar text thread interface. Organize your life into chronological "Stacks" for focused streams of consciousness. Export your data easily in universal Markdown format.

Highlights
  • Text-to-Save workflow
  • Organize into Stacks
  • Visual Timelines
  • Total Privacy
  • Export to Markdown
  • No ads
Features
Read full description

Stop overthinking your notes. HotJot is the fastest way to capture ideas, photos, and thoughts using an interface you already know: a text thread. Organize your life into Stacks. These are focused, chronological streams of consciousness that feel like texting yourself. Whether it’s a fleeting thought, a photo of a receipt, or a project log, HotJot keeps it organized by time and topic without the heavy feel of other note-taking apps. Why HotJot? • The "Text-to-Save" Workflow: No friction. Just pick a Stack and start typing. • Visual Timelines: Every entry is automatically timestamped. Scroll back to see exactly when an idea struck. • Total Privacy: Your data never leaves your device or your personal iCloud backup. It’s in your control. • Own Your Data: Don’t get locked in. Export any Stack (or your entire library) into a clean .zip file containing universal Markdown files and your original photos or videos. • No ads: We hate ads as much as you do. HotJot is completely free for an introductory period, and if you get it while it's free you'll get upgraded for free later. Perfect for: • Project Tracking: Document progress with photos and quick notes. • Quick Capture: Save links, quotes, book recommendations, and "to-dos" before they vanish. • Personal Journaling: A space for your daily thoughts. • Shopping & Lists: Text your family’s requests into a dedicated Stack.

About

Ki

Capture, organize, and connect all your learning in one place. This app allows you to save notes, links, code snippets, and ideas, then link them together to build a web of knowledge. Find anything fast with full-text search and visual knowledge graphs.

Highlights
  • Capture notes, links, quotes, code snippets, and ideas
  • Organize with color-coded tags and custom topics
  • Connect notes with bidirectional linking
  • Visualize knowledge with interactive graphs
  • Full-text search and saved searches
  • Quick capture via floating button and widgets
  • Review workflow for managing notes
Features
Read full description

Ki-note is your personal knowledge base. Capture, organize, and connect everything you learn — all in one place. CAPTURE EVERYTHING • Notes, links, quotes, code snippets, ideas, and references • Quick capture with a floating + button from anywhere in the app • Save source URLs and titles for web content. You can share links from Safari to Ki-note! • Tag code snippets with their programming language (Swift, Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, Rust) • You can insert notes, text, links, into Ki-notes using the Share functionality • You can insert notes using voice in the Control Center widget or using a shortcut with Siri ORGANIZE YOUR WAY • Tags — color-coded labels to categorize your notes • Topics — group related notes under a single theme with custom icons • Smart Collections — automatic filters like Inbox, Favorites, Reading Queue, Unreviewed, Quotes, Ideas, Links, Untagged, and Unlinked • Configurable Quick Access dashboard on the home screen • Pin, favorite, and archive notes • Review workflow — track notes from Inbox → Unreviewed → Reviewing → Reviewed CONNECT YOUR KNOWLEDGE • Link notes together to build a web of ideas • Bidirectional linking — see which notes link to and from each note • Interactive Knowledge Graph — visualize all your notes and their connections • Customizable graph settings for colors, forces, and display options FIND ANYTHING FAST • Full-text search across all notes • Save frequently used searches for quick access • Browse by tags and topics • Filter by note type, status, or collection BUILT FOR YOU • 100% free — no ads, no subscriptions, all features unlocked • Local-first — your data stays on your device with SwiftData • Localized in 6 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese • Light and dark mode with customizable themes • Optional one-time tip to support development Ki-note is designed for students, researchers, developers, writers, and anyone who wants to build a personal knowledge base that grows with them.

Screenshots

HotJot Notes4 screens
Ki4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HotJot Notes at none against Ki's 1. HotJot Notes also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). Ki's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Ki sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. HotJot Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for HotJot Notes against 5.0 for Ki. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HotJot Notes ships an update every 2 months, Ki every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
HotJot Notes versus Ki: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHotJot NotesKi
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings22
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSandstorm Innovations LLC (US)Juan Casanueva

Customer experience

HotJot Notes

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Ki

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

HotJot Notes

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Ki

One-time1
  • Buy me a coffee$0.99

Questions

Is HotJot Notes free?
HotJot Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ki free?
Ki is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, HotJot Notes or Ki?
HotJot Notes and Ki are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do HotJot Notes or Ki have ads?
Neither HotJot Notes nor Ki shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HotJot Notes or Ki?
HotJot Notes ships an update every 2 months, and Ki every 2 days. Most recently, HotJot Notes was updated on September 18, 2026 and Ki on September 10, 2026.

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