Comparison

VaultNotes vs ClarSum

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

Head to head
About

VaultNotes

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VaultNotes keeps your private thoughts and plans on-device, locked behind Face ID or your device passcode. Open the app, authenticate, and dive straight into a clean, focused notebook designed for iPhone. - Fast Secure Unlock Enter the vault with Face ID or your device passcode. VaultNotes automatically re-locks whenever you leave the app, so your notes stay protected. - Beautiful Note List Search, pin favorites, and view recent edits at a glance. Relative timestamps and haptic feedback make organization effortless. - Powerful Editing Write with a distraction-free editor that supports Markdown. Toggle preview with a tap to see exactly how your formatting will look. - Local-Only Storage Notes never leave your device - no accounts, servers, or analytics. Everything is stored securely with SwiftData. - Quick Share & Cleanup Share any note with the system sheet, or automatically clear empty drafts so your list stays tidy. Whether you’re outlining plans, tracking ideas, or keeping a personal journal, VaultNotes keeps it simple, secure, and private.

About

ClarSum

Features
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Some math moments aren't for typing. Cooking with messy hands. Driving when the meter is running. Squinting at a stack of receipts. ClarSum is the AI calculator built for those moments β€” tap, talk, or snap your math, your way. β€” Three ways to calculate β€” β€’ Tap (keypad) Big keys, high contrast, large numerals. Every button is at least 44pt (Apple's minimum touch target), and the main digits are noticeably larger than the system calculator. Works whether you're wearing gloves, fighting glare on a sunny patio, or want bigger text. Full VoiceOver support throughout. β€’ Talk (voice input) Hold the mic and say "three forty-five plus six seventy-eight." ClarSum transcribes locally via Apple Speech. Dialog mode lets you keep going β€” "plus three, change to minus, what was that?" β€” without re-tapping the mic. Anything ClarSum gets wrong is one tap away from a fix. β€’ Snap (camera OCR) Point your camera at any receipt, invoice, price tag, or screen with numbers. Apple Vision grabs the total and drops it into your running expression. Misread a digit? Long-press to edit a single character β€” no need to retype the whole line. β€” 100% on-device β€” No cloud. No account. No data leaves your iPhone. OCR runs through Apple Vision. Speech runs through Apple Speech. We can't see your math because it never touches our servers β€” not even briefly. β€” Left-to-right math, the way you write it β€” ClarSum evaluates "3+5x2" as 16, the same way you'd run the tape with pen and paper. Every step shows on screen so you can see what's happening and undo a wrong tap. β€” Who ClarSum is for β€” Hands-busy moments: cooking, driving, building, traveling. Numbers-on-paper moments: receipts, bills, price tags, exam papers. Users with low vision or presbyopia: large numerals, high contrast, full VoiceOver support, magnifier on long-press. Voice-first preference: accessibility users, multitaskers, anywhere you can't tap precisely. β€” About ClarSum Pro β€” Free ClarSum includes everything above. A single launch-screen ad shows when you open the app from cold; that's the only ad placement. ClarSum Pro is a one-time in-app purchase (no subscription) that removes the launch ad permanently, unlocks AI-enhanced voice (Apple Intelligence dialog mode on iOS 26+), and helps fund continued development. β€” Privacy commitment β€” ClarSum does not collect your name, email, location, or contacts. ClarSum does not upload your photos, voice recordings, or calculation history. ClarSum does not require an account. ClarSum does not embed third-party analytics SDKs (the ad SDK is the only third-party code, and it is removed entirely in ClarSum Pro). Full privacy policy is linked at the bottom of this App Store page.

Screenshots

VaultNotes4 screens
ClarSum4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: VaultNotes at none against ClarSum's 1. VaultNotes also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. ClarSum sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. VaultNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
VaultNotes versus ClarSum: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVaultNotesClarSum
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyMonthlyβ€”
AdsNo β€” betterYes
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, MaciPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 β€” better18.6
Further details β€” not scored
Size31 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developertest2222εŒ—δΊ¬η΅ε―εΈζ–‡εŒ–η§‘ζŠ€ζœ‰ι™ε…¬εΈ

In-app purchases

None

VaultNotes

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

ClarSum

One-time1
  • ClarSum Pro Unlock$4.99

Questions

Is VaultNotes free?
VaultNotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ClarSum free?
ClarSum is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do VaultNotes or ClarSum have ads?
ClarSum shows ads; VaultNotes does not.

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