Comparison

A Third Ear vs KernelAI

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

Head to head
About

A Third Ear

Features
Read full description

Capture every detail. Edit with precision. Understand with AI. This is the ultimate tool for professionals who need more than just a voice recorder. Designed for executives, scribes, and project managers, this app organizes your audio into dedicated Series, transforms messy transcripts into polished documentation, and provides instant AI-powered insights entirely on-device Key Features Organized Series Tracking: Group your recordings by project, client, or recurring meeting. Keep your workspace clutter-free and find exactly what you need in seconds. AI-Powered Revision: Our professional scribe AI cleans up typos, removes filler words and ensures semantic correctness while preserving the speaker's original voice. Smart Summaries & FAQs: Automatically generate structured summaries and Frequently Asked Questions from your audio. Use the interactive Markdown editor to refine and personalize the output. Deep Search: Search through your entire library by filename or custom tags. Find that one specific quote from a meeting six months ago instantly. Precision Editing: Total control over your data. Edit transcripts and summaries directly within the app using a seamless Markdown-enabled interface. Collapsible Context: Focus on what matters. Use organized, collapsible sections to toggle between the raw transcript, the summary, and the AI-generated FAQ. Works offline. No Ads. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://messsoftwaretechnologies.com/privacy.html

About

KernelAI

This AI assistant operates entirely on your device, offering private, offline access to over 43 free models. It functions without an internet connection, ensuring your data remains secure and inaccessible to anyone but you. Enjoy AI capabilities anywhere, anytime, with no data collection or subscriptions.

Highlights
  • Private, offline AI operation
  • No internet required
  • Zero data collection
  • Access to 43+ free AI models
  • Vision AI for image analysis
  • File attachments for document understanding
  • Ad-free experience
Features
Read full description

ON-DEVICE AI Downloaded compatible models run locally on your device. KernelAI checks model compatibility and memory needs before you download, so you can choose a model that fits your iPhone or iPad. CHAT WITH DOCUMENTS Ask questions about PDFs, DOCX, CSV, Markdown, and text files. Summarize, search, and find useful passages with on-device document chat. UNDERSTAND IMAGES Attach a photo, screenshot, chart, or diagram and ask what it shows with a compatible vision model. Image analysis runs on-device. 50+ MODEL OPTIONS Choose from 50+ models, including Llama, Gemma, Qwen, DeepSeek, Mistral, Phi, and more. Import compatible GGUF models from Files, URLs, or your local network. WRITE, LEARN, AND CODE Use local models for writing, brainstorming, explanations, and code. Generate, explain, and review code with models selected for programming. CUSTOMIZE YOUR AI Set a system prompt and generation parameters for each model. See tokens-per-second, context usage, and generated thinking output from supported reasoning models. VOICE, SIRI, AND SHORTCUTS Dictate prompts with voice input. Ask KernelAI from Siri or build it into Shortcuts on supported iOS versions. On supported iOS 26 devices, Apple's built-in on-device model can answer in the background; downloaded models may open KernelAI while they run. ORGANIZE YOUR WORK Keep conversations in folders, search your history, branch a chat, edit or regenerate messages, and export your work. Use KernelAI on iPhone and iPad, including from the Share Sheet and Home Screen widget. OPTIONAL WEB SEARCH Turn on web search when you need current information. Add your own Tavily or Exa API key; web search is off by default. Provider fees may apply. TEN APP LANGUAGES Use KernelAI in English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese or Arabic. Choose your language during onboarding or change it in Settings. Arabic includes a right-to-left interface. FREE TO USE KernelAI remains free. Local AI works offline after downloading a compatible model. No subscription is required for this version. Privacy Policy: https://kernelai.app/privacy Terms & Conditions: https://kernelai.app/terms

Screenshots

A Third Ear3 screens
KernelAI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: KernelAI at 16.4 against A Third Ear's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. A Third Ear sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year and KernelAI sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

A Third Ear ships an update fortnightly, KernelAI every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
A Third Ear versus KernelAI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterA Third EarKernelAI
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.6 (43 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—80.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—43 — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS26.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size816 MB86 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMESS Software Technologies LLCAnes Khadiri

In-app purchases

4 purchases

A Third Ear

Subscriptions1
  • A ThirdEar Annual Sub1 Month trial$4.991 Year
One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$4.99
  • Large Tip$9.99
3 purchases

KernelAI

One-time3
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Kind Tip.$3.99
  • Generous Tip.$6.99

Questions

Is A Third Ear free?
A Third Ear is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is KernelAI free?
KernelAI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do A Third Ear or KernelAI have ads?
Neither A Third Ear nor KernelAI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, A Third Ear or KernelAI?
A Third Ear ships an update fortnightly, and KernelAI every 3 weeks. Most recently, A Third Ear was updated on October 30, 2026 and KernelAI on October 31, 2026.

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