Comparison

Philo vs justREC

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

Head to head
About

Philo

Features
Read full description

A little space to think. Philo connects what's on your mind with ideas from philosophy. Write about a feeling, a question, or a decision. Find a different perspective, reflect in your own words, and keep what matters. Start with a thought Write freely about whatever you're working through. Philo brings you relevant quotes with context and explanations connected to your reflection. Think it through Choose a starting point: understand a feeling, question an assumption, or find a next step. Philo asks one question at a time. Answer at your own pace and pause whenever you like. Keep your own takeaway Capture the sentence you want to remember. Write it yourself or edit a suggestion drawn from your answers. You decide what belongs in your journal. Pick up where you left off Keep related reflections together in topics you name and control. Return later, including the same day, and continue with your earlier thoughts in context. Revisit past entries through dated references, and pause or close a topic when you're ready. Try one small thing Turn a reflection into an optional experiment or work through a decision. Note what you want to try, what you expect, and when you'd like to check in. Reminders are your choice. Write beyond the daily reflection Compose gives you space for free-form journaling, creative writing, and longer thoughts. Bring saved quotes into your writing and add a photo to a daily entry. Return to meaningful ideas Save quotes to your personal library. Browse reflections through Chronicle's calendar and revisit what you wrote, what you questioned, and what you chose to keep. Keep wisdom close Add Philo's daily quote widget to your home screen. Create quote cards to share or save to your photos. A calmer place to write Warm parchment tones, thoughtful typography, and an article-inspired layout keep the focus on your words. Read a quote, write a sentence, or stay with a question a little longer. Every reflection can be complete on its own. Scholar membership Scholar includes five quotes per entry, three quote refreshes, deeper philosophical analysis, and extended context. Monthly: $2.99 Annual: $25.00 Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Support: support@getphiloapp.com Privacy: https://getphiloapp.com/privacy-policy Terms: https://getphiloapp.com/terms-of-service

About

justREC

Features
Read full description

justREC is a focused iPhone recorder for meetings, interviews, and voice notes. Record with your iPhone even when you’re offline. Pause and resume whenever you need, then keep each recording in a simple on-device library. Rename, play back, share, or delete your audio on your terms. When iCloud is available, justREC copies completed recordings to your private iCloud container. If you also use justREC for Mac with Lifetime access, your recordings can arrive in the Mac Inbox for transcription and summaries. With justREC for iPhone, you can: β€’ Record microphone audio offline β€’ Keep recording while the screen is locked or the app is in the background β€’ Pause and resume a recording β€’ Play back, rename, share, and delete recordings β€’ See whether a recording is on your iPhone, syncing, available on Mac, or needs a retry β€’ Keep using your recordings when iCloud is unavailable and retry delivery later β€’ Use the app without a justREC account or app backend justREC for iPhone records microphone audio only. It does not record phone calls, system audio, or audio from other apps.

Screenshots

Philo4 screens
justREC3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: justREC at 17.0 against Philo's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Philo sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and justREC sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Philo ships an update weekly, justREC every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Philo versus justREC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhilojustREC
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeekly β€” betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, Mac
Requires iOS26.017.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size38 MB1 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperQendrim BekaViktor Kozlov

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Philo

Subscriptions2
  • Philo Scholar Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Philo Scholar Yearly$24.991 Year
1 purchases

justREC

One-time1
  • Lifetime Unlock$49.99

Questions

Is Philo free?
Philo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is justREC free?
justREC is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Philo or justREC have ads?
Neither Philo nor justREC shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Philo or justREC?
Philo ships an update weekly, and justREC every 2 weeks. Most recently, Philo was updated on October 9, 2026 and justREC on October 16, 2026.

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