Comparison

Zettel vs Raven Documents

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

Head to head
About

Zettel

This app offers a minimalist note-taking experience, focusing on a single, full-screen note at a time. It features a unique swipe-to-clear gesture with haptic feedback and simple tag functionality for easy organization. Notes are saved as plain Markdown files for versatile use.

Highlights
  • Single full-screen note interface
  • Swipe-to-clear gesture with haptic feedback
  • Simple hashtag tagging system
  • Plain Markdown file export
  • Works with Files app
  • Dark mode support
Read full description

Zettel - Quick Notes for iOS. Write. Swipe to tear. Done. Zettel brings the satisfying feeling of ripping paper to your iPhone. What makes it different: - One note at a time: Full screen. No tabs, no folders, no mess. Just you and your thoughts. - Tear to clear: Swipe from the edge and drag across the screen. Your note tears away with haptic feedback that actually feels real. - Tags that work: Type #anything and it becomes a tag. Find notes instantly without setting up complicated systems. - Your files, anywhere: Notes are plain Markdown files. Edit them in other apps, sync however you want, or just keep them local. Perfect for: - Quick thoughts - Meeting notes - Daily journaling - Project ideas Simple by design: - iPhone only (as it should be) - Works with Files app - Dark mode included - No account required - Zero tracking Built by someone who got tired of overcomplicated note apps. Sometimes the best tools are the simplest ones.

About

Raven Documents

This AI assistant processes documents, images, audio, and video files locally on your device. It offers features like text extraction, PDF analysis, audio transcription, and content summarization without sending data to external servers. Designed for productivity, it helps you manage files and projects efficiently.

Highlights
  • Local AI processing
  • Extract text from images
  • Analyze PDF files
  • Transcribe audio
  • Summarize content
  • Organize chats and files
  • Privacy-focused
Read full description

Raven is your private open source AI assistant for iOS. It helps you work with documents, images, audio, and video files directly on your device. Nothing is sent to external servers. All processing is done locally using Apple’s Foundation Models. Raven is ideal for working with small to medium-sized files such as articles, notes, reports, transcripts, and PDFs. - Best suited for documents of moderate length - Handles long text comfortably while still providing clear summaries and answers - Designed to be fast and efficient without slowing down your device What you can do with Raven: - Extract text from images - Read and analyze PDF files - Transcribe audio files - Extract text from video content - Ask questions about your files - Summarize and analyze content - Organize chats and manage files Privacy first Your data never leaves your iPhone. Raven runs fully on your device with no cloud services and no internet required for AI features. - Designed for productivity - Create and manage multiple projects - Upload and organize your files - Take notes automatically saved - Switch between chats with ease Built for iOS Raven is made for iOS and takes full advantage of Apple’s frameworks including Foundation Models, Vision, PDFKit, Speech and AVFoundation. The full source code is available on GitHub.

Screenshots

Zettel4 screens
Raven Documents4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Raven Documents at Free against Zettel's $2.99. Zettel's advantage is chart position (#190 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Raven Documents is free to download; Zettel costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zettel ships an update monthly, Raven Documents every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 8, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Zettel versus Raven Documents: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZettelRaven Documents
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews88.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#190 — better—
DevicesiPhone, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexander Moritz WeichartEldar Tutnjic

Customer experience

Zettel

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive88.9%
Neutral11.1%
Negative0.0%

Raven Documents

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

Zettel

No in-app purchases

None

Raven Documents

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Zettel free?
Zettel costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Raven Documents free?
Raven Documents is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Zettel or Raven Documents have ads?
Neither Zettel nor Raven Documents shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Zettel or Raven Documents?
Zettel ships an update monthly, and Raven Documents every 2 months. Most recently, Zettel was updated on September 8, 2026 and Raven Documents on September 27, 2026.

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