Comparison

TextMates vs Glass Notes

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

Head to head
About

TextMates

This app transforms your iPhone into a private AI assistant for your documents. Engage in natural conversations with PDFs and text files, receiving intelligent answers with verifiable citations, all processed locally on your device without an internet connection.

Highlights
  • Chat with documents
  • 100% private, on-device processing
  • Import PDFs, text files, and scanned documents
  • Natural language questions and answers
  • Multi-document querying
  • Source citations
  • Offline capable
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone into a powerful AI document assistant with TextMates. TextMates brings desktop-class AI capabilities to your iOS device, allowing you to have natural conversations with your documents while keeping everything completely private and on-device. Chat with Your Documents Simply upload PDFs, text files, or documents, and start asking questions. TextMates uses advanced AI to understand your documents and provide intelligent, conversational responses - just like chatting with an expert who has read everything. 100% Private, 100% Local Unlike other AI apps, TextMates runs entirely on your device. Your documents never leave your iPhone, and no internet connection is required after initial setup. Your data stays yours. Key Features: - Smart Document Processing - Import PDFs, text files, and more with advanced OCR for scanned documents - Natural Conversations - Ask questions in plain language and get detailed answers with numbered citations - Multi-Document Intelligence - Query across multiple documents simultaneously - Powerful Search - Combines AI understanding with traditional search for best results - Source Citations - Every answer includes verifiable citations linking back to your documents - Offline Capable - Works without internet after downloading AI models - Background Processing - Documents continue processing even when you switch apps Perfect For: - Students - Quickly find information across textbooks and research papers - Professionals - Analyze reports, contracts, and documentation efficiently - Researchers - Cross-reference sources and extract insights - Anyone who values privacy and wants AI assistance without cloud dependency Advanced Technology: TextMates leverages Apple's latest frameworks including MLX for on-device AI, Vision for OCR, and Metal for GPU acceleration. The app is optimized for Apple Silicon and the Neural Engine, delivering desktop-class performance on your iPhone. Why TextMates? - No subscriptions or hidden fees - No account required - No data collection - No cloud processing - Just powerful, private AI on your device

About

Glass Notes

Capture thoughts with visually appealing glass cards that change color based on their background. Organize notes with color tags, checklists, and folders. Protect your private entries with Face ID and access them easily via home screen widgets.

Highlights
  • Visually appealing glass card design
  • Color-coded note organization
  • Interactive checklists
  • Folder-based note grouping
  • Face ID/Passcode protection
  • Home screen widgets
  • Private data storage
Features
Read full description

Write, plan and keep private information on translucent, colorful glass cards. Capture tasks, checklists, photos, scans, drawings and voice notes in one polished workspace for iPhone and iPad. Start free with up to 10 notes. One purchase unlocks unlimited notes, with no subscription, ads, tracking or account. CUSTOMIZE YOUR WORKSPACE Create translucent glass cards and choose any HEX color for notes, folders, text and the app accent. Use bold and italic text with nine text colors. CAPTURE MORE Add photos, scan documents and search for text found inside images. Record voice notes with on-device transcription. Draw by hand with Apple Pencil. ORGANIZE EVERYTHING Create checklists with progress indicators. Group content into folders and tags, then filter tags in one tap. Use calendar view and reminders. Select multiple notes to move, share or delete them together. SEARCH AND SHARE Spotlight searches your notes, while locked notes are never indexed. Share notes as images or PDFs. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT Protect private notes with Face ID or a passcode. Recently Deleted retains removed notes for 30 days. WIDGETS AND iPAD Add Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets for quick access. Use the iPad sidebar layout for efficient navigation. DESIGNED FOR iOS 26 Glass Notes is built for iOS 26 and Apple's Liquid Glass design, bringing a translucent, modern interface to your everyday writing. FREE TO START Keep up to 10 notes for free. One purchase unlocks unlimited notes, forever. No subscription. No ads. No tracking. No account.

Screenshots

TextMates4 screens
Glass Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: TextMates at 18.2 against Glass Notes's 26.0. On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for TextMates against 5.0 for Glass Notes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TextMates ships an update weekly, Glass Notes every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
TextMates versus Glass Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTextMatesGlass Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews—50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.2 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAnchen LiBirkan Aksoy

Customer experience

TextMates

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Glass Notes

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

TextMates

No in-app purchases

None

Glass Notes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TextMates free?
TextMates is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Glass Notes free?
Glass Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, TextMates or Glass Notes?
TextMates and Glass Notes are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do TextMates or Glass Notes have ads?
Neither TextMates nor Glass Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TextMates or Glass Notes?
TextMates ships an update weekly, and Glass Notes every 8 days. Most recently, TextMates was updated on October 10, 2026 and Glass Notes on October 24, 2026.

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