Comparison

FutureNote vs Appreciation First

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

Head to head
About

FutureNote

Write messages to your future self, capturing current thoughts, hopes, and memories. Seal them to be delivered at a later date, allowing you to reflect on your journey and growth.

Highlights
  • Write messages to future self
  • Seal notes for delayed delivery
  • Track progress and overcome challenges
  • Capture hopes and memories
  • Unlock notes at a future date
Features
Read full description

You wrote it on your hardest day. You read it from the other side. Or you wrote it on the day everything felt possible again. Both belong here. FutureNote is a time capsule for what you actually feel today. Write it down. Choose a mood. Photograph the place you are sitting — not your face, but the desk, the window, the room. Then seal the letter: seven days, a month, a year, ten years. Sealed means sealed. Nobody opens it early. Not us, not you. There is no button that changes that and no price that unlocks it. On average, people tap a sealed letter six times before the day arrives. On the day you chose, it comes back. First the photo, for three seconds. Then your words, line by line. And then you write back — to the person you were. Tell them what happened. Whether the fear came true. Whether the hope was right. And seal it again. Month after month, year after year, a conversation with yourself grows. WHY IT WORKS Your memory keeps the facts but loses the feeling. Within weeks, the texture of a hard day softens into a vague summary, and the evidence of your own growth disappears with it. FutureNote captures the feeling before it fades and returns it when you are ready to read it. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Seal a letter for a week, a month, a season, a year, or a decade • Add a photo of where you were — the room, the desk, the window • Choose the mood you are writing in, and see how it shifts over time • Organize letters into chapters and watch a timeline of yourself build • Get a notification the moment a letter is ready to open • Write a reply to who you were, and seal it again YOUR LETTERS ARE YOURS Your letters are encrypted and belong only to you. They are not read, not sold, and never used to train anything. Write the first one today. Meet yourself later. Privacy Policy: https://futurenoteapp.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://futurenoteapp.com/terms

About

Appreciation First

Features
Read full description

Appreciation First helps you start each day with a thoughtful moment before notifications, social media, email, and the day's endless distractions take over. Every morning, you'll receive a personalized reflection prompt based on what matters most to you. Take a few minutes to pause, reflect, and build a lasting habit through private journaling. Features • Personalized daily reflection prompts • Private journal that stays with you • Daily streaks and milestone tracking • Reflection history to revisit previous entries • Personalized onboarding tailored to your goals • Optional Premium with unlimited prompt refreshes and unlimited reflection history Whether you want to appreciate the people around you, recognize your own strengths, or simply begin the day with greater intention, Appreciation First gives you one meaningful prompt every morning to help you reconnect with what matters most. Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

FutureNote4 screens
Appreciation First4 screens

Verdict

The call

FutureNote and Appreciation First are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. FutureNote sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Appreciation First sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FutureNote ships an update weekly, Appreciation First every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
FutureNote versus Appreciation First: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFutureNoteAppreciation First
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB61 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarkas GiniotisCarik Taylor

In-app purchases

4 purchases

FutureNote

Subscriptions2
  • Premium$4.991 Month
  • Premium7 Days trial$34.991 Year
One-time2
  • Seal Just This Note$0.99
  • Premium Lifetime$49.99
2 purchases

Appreciation First

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year

Questions

Is FutureNote free?
FutureNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Appreciation First free?
Appreciation First is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do FutureNote or Appreciation First have ads?
Neither FutureNote nor Appreciation First shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FutureNote or Appreciation First?
FutureNote ships an update weekly, and Appreciation First every 10 days. Most recently, FutureNote was updated on October 3, 2026 and Appreciation First on October 5, 2026.

Other comparisons