Zen Slate vs Second Brain
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Zen Slate
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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
Second Brain
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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: โข Rich Notes โ Write with Markdown support, add images, link notes together โข Collections โ Organize notes into collections with icons and colors โข Tags โ Tag anything for instant filtering โข Daily Notes โ One note per day, automatically created โข Goals โ Track personal goals with milestones and progress โข Book Notes โ Capture key takeaways from books you read โข Quotes โ Save your favorite quotes โข Knowledge Graph โ See how your ideas connect visually โข Bi-directional Links โ Link notes and see backlinks automatically โข Full-Text Search โ Find anything instantly โข Favorites & Archive โ Star important notes, archive the rest โข Quick Capture โ Capture thoughts from the home screen widget โข Face ID / Touch ID โ Lock your app for privacy โข iCloud Backup โ Optional, off by default โข Export โ PDF, CSV, Markdown โข 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
Verdict
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
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.
Zen Slate ships an update every 10 days, Second Brain every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Zen Slate | Second Brain |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days โ better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ZenProducts Technologies Pvt. Ltd. | Selahattin Bozat |
In-app purchases
Zen Slate
- Zen Slate Pro Annual$19.991 Year
- Zen Slate, bought once$49.99
Second Brain
- Second Brain Premium$9.99









