# basalt vs Cipher

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cipher at none against basalt's 2. Cipher also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). basalt's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 5 weeks). On price, 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. Cipher asks for nothing beyond the download.

basalt ships an update every 10 days, Cipher every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | basalt | Cipher |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 5 weeks |
| Size | 11 MB | 69 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Igor Diachuk](https://appshunter.io/developer/1745656090) | [Agrima Pandey](https://appshunter.io/developer/1858624139) |

## What reviewers say

### basalt

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

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

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


### Cipher

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cipher-voice-to-notes-ai/id6760800789)

**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 Cipher free?

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

### Do basalt or Cipher have ads?

Neither basalt nor Cipher shows ads.

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

basalt ships an update every 10 days, and Cipher every 5 weeks. Most recently, basalt was updated on October 16, 2026 and Cipher on October 18, 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.*