# basalt vs Quill

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Quill at none against basalt's 2. Quill also leads on iOS requirement (17.2 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. basalt sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Quill asks for nothing beyond the download.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and August 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | basalt | Quill |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/quill-commonplace-book/id6758316134/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **2** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 20 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.2** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Igor Diachuk](https://appshunter.io/developer/1846996492) | [Moonshot Labs LLC (US)](https://appshunter.io/developer/1872202328) |

## What reviewers say

### basalt

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basalt-ai-notes/id6754186830)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Basalt Weekly | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Basalt Yearly | $12.99 | per year |


### Quill

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/quill-commonplace-book/id6758316134)

A digital commonplace book designed for collecting and revisiting meaningful thoughts, sentences, and ideas. It offers a distraction-free writing experience with offline access and secure iCloud synchronization. The app periodically resurfaces past entries to bring important reflections back to mind.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free writing, Offline-first functionality, Secure iCloud sync, Periodic resurfacing of past entries, No social features

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is basalt free?

basalt is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Quill free?

Quill is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do basalt or Quill have ads?

Neither basalt nor Quill shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, basalt or Quill?

basalt ships an update every 10 days, and Quill every 10 days. Most recently, basalt was updated on September 13, 2026 and Quill on August 31, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*