Comparison

Fast Idea Book vs Ember

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

Head to head
About

Fast Idea Book

Quickly capture fleeting thoughts via text, voice, or photo with a single tap. Access your ideas through widgets, the Share Sheet, or Siri. Organize and review them later, with advanced features unlocked via subscription.

Highlights
  • One-tap text, voice, and photo capture
  • Home Screen capture widget
  • Share Sheet integration
  • On-device voice transcription
  • Tags and quick review
  • Siri integration
  • iCloud sync
Features
Read full description

A frictionless capture pad for the ideas you would otherwise lose. If you have ever woken at 3 AM with a great idea and nothing to write it on, or watched a brilliant phrase evaporate while you opened a heavier app, Fast Idea Book is for you. It is a calm, on-device idea book built around one job — capture the thought before it fades — and one principle: never make you wait or sign in. Open the app and you are already typing. Quick notes save with a single keystroke. Brainstorm freely without folder rituals, then tag entries afterward when your brain wants structure. Voice memo capture for hands-free moments, brain-dump templates for foggy mornings, and a search that surfaces the half-remembered note in seconds. Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets keep the latest idea visible, and the interface ships in 39 languages with full accessibility. Built for writers, founders, students, designers and anyone whose best ideas arrive at the worst possible moment.

About

Ember

This app helps you reclaim your attention with a unique visual ritual. Instead of a standard countdown, it uses animated themes that evolve as you focus, providing a calming anchor to prevent distractions. It tracks your progress and offers a minimalist interface designed for deep work.

Highlights
  • Living Visuals with animated themes
  • Intentional 'Press to Ignite' start
  • Zen Mode with auto-hiding interface
  • Calendar heatmap for focus tracking
  • Unlockable exclusive visual themes
  • OLED optimized dark aesthetic
Features
Read full description

Ignite Your Focus. Ember is a tool for Radical Simplicity. In a world of digital noise and endless scrolling, Ember helps you reclaim your attention through a unique visual ritual. How It Works Unlike standard timers that just count down numbers, Ember uses "Visual Engines"—beautiful, animated themes that evolve and grow as you focus. Press to Ignite: Simply press and hold the screen for one second to start. This intentional act creates a moment of commitment to your focus session. Visual Anchor: Watch as a tree grows or a crystal forms. These Skia-powered visuals provide a calming anchor for your eyes, preventing the urge to check other apps. Zen Mode: The interface auto-hides after 3 seconds, leaving only the living visual to keep you tethered to the present. Key Features Living Visuals: Choose from engines like Growth, Crystal, Spiral, and Eclipse to match your mood. Track Your Journey: A clean calendar heatmap tracks your daily streaks and total focus hours. Earn Your Progress: Maintain a 30-day streak to unlock the exclusive "Orbit" engine. Flexible Flow: Set sessions from 1 minute to 12 hours (Premium) to suit everything from a quick breather to deep work. OLED Optimized: A minimalist, dark aesthetic designed to reduce eye strain and save battery. Why Ember? Ember is designed to fade away. There are no ads, no social feeds, and no gamified clutter. Whether you’re trying to stop doomscrolling, studying for an exam, or managing ADHD, Ember provides the calm environment you need to stay on track.

Screenshots

Fast Idea Book4 screens
Ember4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Fast Idea Book at none against Ember's 1. Ember's advantage is ratings volume (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.5). On price, rating, ads 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

Both are free to download. Ember sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Fast Idea Book 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 Fast Idea Book against 5.0 for Ember. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Fast Idea Book versus Ember: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFast Idea BookEmber
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings14 — better
Update frequencyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.515.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB36 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBahattin DuranEmbercore LLC

Customer experience

Fast Idea Book

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

Ember

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Fast Idea Book

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Ember

One-time1
  • Ember Plus$9.99

Questions

Is Fast Idea Book free?
Fast Idea Book is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ember free?
Ember is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Fast Idea Book or Ember?
Fast Idea Book and Ember are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do Fast Idea Book or Ember have ads?
Neither Fast Idea Book nor Ember shows ads.

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