Comparison

Zen Slate vs Second Brain

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

Head to head
About

Zen Slate

Features
Read full description

Keep notes, voice memos and to-dos together. Zen Slate gives your writing room, with rich text, document scanning, reminders and a library you can organize your way. WRITE, RECORD AND SCAN Use headings, bold, italics, quotes, code blocks, highlights and checklists. Add photos, PDFs and files. Record a voice note with on-device transcription, or scan a document with the camera on supported devices. NOTES THAT TURN INTO ACTION A checklist inside a note is a real to-do. Add a date, reminder, priority or repeat, then see tasks together and plan them on a calendar. Optional Apple Reminders integration is off until you choose it. DRAW ON IPAD Sketch with Apple Pencil using pens, markers, a highlighter, eraser, lasso and ruler. Drawings remain editable after you save them. FIND YOUR WAY BACK Organize with nested categories, tags and smart folders. Search your writing, bookmark a note, and link related notes with double brackets. Backlinks show where a note is referenced. BRING YOUR NOTES WITH YOU Import Markdown folders with their structure, tags and dates. Import supported Evernote ENEX, RTF and HTML files. Export your library as JSON when you need it. YOUR DEVICE AND YOUR ICLOUD No Zen Slate account is required. Notes are stored on your device; sync uses your own iCloud account rather than our servers. Keep version history and restore an earlier draft. Supported devices can protect individual notes with biometric authentication. CAPTURE WITHOUT THE DETOUR Use widgets, the share sheet, Shortcuts and Spotlight to reach your notes. Features vary by platform; camera scanning and Apple Pencil drawing require supported iPhone or iPad hardware. FREE AND PRO Start with five slates for free. Pro removes the limit and adds sync, widgets, backup and export. Choose a yearly subscription or a one-time purchase. The one-time purchase does not renew. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account subscription settings. See current pricing in the app. Privacy Policy: https://www.zenproducts.ai/apps/zen-slate/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.zenproducts.ai/apps/zen-slate/terms Support: hello@zenproducts.ai

About

Second Brain

Features
Read full description

Second Brain is your offline-first personal knowledge management app. Capture every idea, note, and insight โ€” and never lose a thought again. No ads. No tracking. No account required. Your data stays on your device. FEATURES: โ€ข Rich Notes โ€” Write with Markdown support, add images, link notes together โ€ข Collections โ€” Organize notes into collections with icons and colors โ€ข Tags โ€” Tag anything for instant filtering โ€ข Daily Notes โ€” One note per day, automatically created โ€ข Goals โ€” Track personal goals with milestones and progress โ€ข Book Notes โ€” Capture key takeaways from books you read โ€ข Quotes โ€” Save your favorite quotes โ€ข Knowledge Graph โ€” See how your ideas connect visually โ€ข Bi-directional Links โ€” Link notes and see backlinks automatically โ€ข Full-Text Search โ€” Find anything instantly โ€ข Favorites & Archive โ€” Star important notes, archive the rest โ€ข Quick Capture โ€” Capture thoughts from the home screen widget โ€ข Face ID / Touch ID โ€” Lock your app for privacy โ€ข iCloud Backup โ€” Optional, off by default โ€ข Export โ€” PDF, CSV, Markdown โ€ข 15 Languages โ€” English, Turkish, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Russian PRIVACY FIRST: Second Brain collects zero data. No analytics, no tracking SDKs, no servers. Everything lives on your device. PREMIUM (one-time purchase): Unlock unlimited notes, collections, Knowledge Graph, exports, Face ID, and home screen widgets with a single lifetime purchase.

Screenshots

Zen Slate4 screens
Second Brain4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Zen Slate at every 10 days against Second Brain's every 3 months. Second Brain's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Zen Slate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year and Second Brain sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zen Slate ships an update every 10 days, Second Brain every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Zen Slate versus Second Brain: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZen SlateSecond Brain
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 10 days โ€” betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS17.015.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size16 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZenProducts Technologies Pvt. Ltd.Selahattin Bozat

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Zen Slate

Subscriptions1
  • Zen Slate Pro Annual$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Zen Slate, bought once$49.99
1 purchases

Second Brain

One-time1
  • Second Brain Premium$9.99

Questions

Is Zen Slate free?
Zen Slate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Second Brain free?
Second Brain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Zen Slate or Second Brain have ads?
Neither Zen Slate nor Second Brain shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Zen Slate or Second Brain?
Zen Slate ships an update every 10 days, and Second Brain every 3 months. Most recently, Zen Slate was updated on September 24, 2026 and Second Brain on September 24, 2026.

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