Comparison

KNOCKKNOCK / Retro Notes vs the boring app.

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

Head to head
About

KNOCKKNOCK / Retro Notes

This app offers a unique note-taking experience with a retro CRT monitor aesthetic. View two notes simultaneously and interact with a fun, animated fidget element on the side.

Highlights
  • Retro CRT monitor design
  • Dual note display
  • Interactive fidget element
  • Fun and engaging interface
Features
Read full description

Have fun with personal software again! The coolest looking retro CRT monitor notes app. -- Two displays for notes -- How cool is that? View two notes at once, while whole app looking like a tool from a future. -- Fun -- The dots on right side are interactive fidget that you can tap and see it react.

About

the boring app.

This app is designed to break the habit of constantly checking your phone. It offers no reward each time you use it, weakening the reflex with every interaction. Enjoy a distraction-free experience with no accounts or data harvesting.

Highlights
  • Breaks reward loop
  • Weakens checking reflex
  • No accounts required
  • No data harvesting
  • Distraction-free
Features
Read full description

Your phone is hard to put down. You pick it up without deciding to, open something, set it down, then reach for it again a minute later. That is not really a decision anymore. It is a habit, and habits run on payoff. Most times you check, something is waiting: a message, a new post, something you haven't seen. Rewards that arrive unpredictably are the kind that stick hardest, which is how checking became a reflex you barely notice. This app takes the payoff out of that moment. You pick which apps to block. When you go to open one, you come here first and solve a math problem. It is dull, it costs a little effort, and it gives you nothing back. The reflex still fires, but it meets a small wall instead of a reward, and a reflex that stops paying off slowly loses its grip. The cost also rises the more you lean on it. Unlock once and the gate is short; come back again the same day and it asks for more problems and gives less time. Leaning on it harder will make the app push back. You can set locked hours, when the blocked apps do not open at all and there is no problem that will let you in. Strict mode protects that: while a locked window is running, you cannot quietly widen your list, trim your hours, or shut the app off without solving your way through first. The watch app can remind you when a block is lifted, so a few earned minutes do not quietly turn into an hour. No accounts, no sign-in, no email, no data leaving your phone. Boring.

Screenshots

KNOCKKNOCK / Retro Notes3 screens
the boring app.3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: the boring app. at none against KNOCKKNOCK / Retro Notes's 1. On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. KNOCKKNOCK / Retro Notes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. the boring app. asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for KNOCKKNOCK / Retro Notes against 5.0 for the boring app.. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
KNOCKKNOCK / Retro Notes versus the boring app.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKNOCKKNOCK / Retro Notesthe boring app.
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings11
Update frequency—Every 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYaroslav Samoylovchristopher woods

Customer experience

KNOCKKNOCK / Retro Notes

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

the boring app.

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

KNOCKKNOCK / Retro Notes

One-time1
  • Unlimited Notes$8.99
None

the boring app.

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is KNOCKKNOCK / Retro Notes free?
KNOCKKNOCK / Retro Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is the boring app. free?
the boring app. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, KNOCKKNOCK / Retro Notes or the boring app.?
KNOCKKNOCK / Retro Notes and the boring app. are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do KNOCKKNOCK / Retro Notes or the boring app. have ads?
Neither KNOCKKNOCK / Retro Notes nor the boring app. shows ads.

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