Aide Mémoire vs DeskMode
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Aide Mémoire
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Aide Mémoire — For Everything Else That Matters Some important information just doesn't belong in a password manager. Travel insurance. Account numbers. Emergency contacts. Membership numbers. Subscription details. Household information. The useful things you only need occasionally, but really need when the moment comes. Aide Mémoire gives them a home. Keep your important information together in a private, encrypted vault, so you know exactly where it is when you need it. ## Private by design ## Your information is encrypted and stored securely on your device, and optionally in iCloud, making your profiles available across your devices while keeping their contents protected. Your information cannot be read without your profile password. We cannot access it, and your password is not stored in iCloud Keychain. Your phone, your privacy: There's no tracking, and no data to sell. ## Useful now. Important later. ## Aide Mémoire is designed to be useful in everyday life, but it can also help when someone else needs access to important information you've collected. You can create an encrypted copy of your profile and give it to someone you trust. The profile remains locked on their device until you choose to give them the password. That might be today, years from now, or through arrangements you've made for the future. ## Everything has its place ## • Keep important details together • Create profiles for different people • Protect profiles with their own passwords • AES-256 encryption • Secure iCloud storage across your devices • Create encrypted copies to pass to someone you trust • No tracking or advertising A password manager looks after your passwords. Aide Mémoire is for everything esle. Keep what matters where you know where to find it. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
DeskMode
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DeskMode turns the low-intensity movement of a desk day into one honest number. Time how long you sit, stand, walk on a treadmill desk, or pedal an under-desk bike, and see the calories you burn ABOVE just sitting - never inflated, never guilt-tripped. One thing, done well. Not a food logger, not a workout app. Just the four modes you actually switch between at a desk, and the honest math behind them. HONEST, NET CALORIES - Calories are the extra above resting - sitting is your baseline and does not pad the number. Only standing, walking and cycling add to it. - Validated MET values (Ainsworth 2011) x your real body weight, with a plain +/-20-30% disclaimer. Better to be calibratable than fake-precise. - Tap any figure to see a per-activity breakdown and exactly how it is worked out. GLANCEABLE FROM ACROSS THE ROOM - Big timer, one tap to start, one tap to flip sit to stand. A quick-switch strip keeps every mode a thumb away. - A live speed dial for the treadmill desk and a resistance dial for the bike, so calories track your real pace. APPLE WATCH, IN SYNC - Start, flip, pause and stop from your wrist as one shared timer with iPhone. - The same honest "above sitting" calories, a today summary, and a Digital Crown mode switch. COMFORT COACHING AS YOU GO - While a timer runs, DeskMode surfaces a short, activity-specific comfort and mobility tip - calf raises and hip openers for long standing, ankle circles for cycling - rotating every few minutes. Around 70 cues, each cited to a real source (Cornell Ergonomics, OSHA, NIOSH, ACSM, NASM, AHA). Guidance, not medical advice. A WEEK THAT FITS - Build named profiles ("Office" with a desk bike Mon/Wed/Fri, "Home office" Tue/Thu) that scope which modes and reminders show each day. One tap to "Use today" when plans change. - Opt-in stand and sit nudges that offer to switch or snooze - never automatic, never naggy. PROGRESS, WITHOUT THE PRESSURE - Levels, ~40 collectible badges, and a GitHub-style activity heatmap. - A no-shame streak: a quiet day is rest, not a red mark. - Explore every chart - scrub the trends, tap the split, read exact values. APPLE HEALTH - Reads your latest weight for accurate calories and saves sessions as workouts. Syncs when you open the app; nothing is ever duplicated. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT - Your activity stays on your device. No accounts, no tracking, no ads. Lock Screen Live Activity, Dynamic Island, and Home-Screen widgets keep today's on-feet minutes and calories a glance away. DeskMode Pro unlocks the whole app - every mode, chart, badge, widget, the Apple Watch app and weekly profiles. Start with a 3-day free trial, then GBP 1.99/month or GBP 14.99/year. No free tier, nothing held back behind a second purchase. Terms of Use (Apple standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
Aide Mémoire and DeskMode 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
Both are free to download. Aide Mémoire sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $12.99 per year and DeskMode sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Aide Mémoire ships an update weekly, DeskMode every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Aide Mémoire | DeskMode |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 18 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CHARLES JAMES MACKINNON | NICHOLAS LUKE THOMAS |
In-app purchases
Aide Mémoire
- Personal Profile Access$12.991 Year
DeskMode
- DeskMode Pro3 Days trial$1.991 Month
- DeskMode Pro3 Days trial$14.991 Year









