Comparison

Span vs Inklings

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

Head to head
About

Span

Features
Read full description

Most calendars are just lists of text. They hide the reality of your day. Span is different. It visualizes your schedule as a continuous, flowing timeline, helping you focus on what’s happening now and what’s up next. Designed for visual thinkers. WHY SPAN?  • The unique layout transforms your list into a clear, continuous timeline. Instantly see what you have on without the clutter.  • Colour-code your life (Work, Health, Deep Work) and use Emojis to recognise tasks instantly without reading.  • A clean interface that highlights your current status and upcoming block, keeping you present. SMART CSV IMPORT Span is designed to work alongside your favourite AI tools. Simply ask an AI tool to generate a schedule as a CSV, and paste it directly into Span. We handle the formatting; you bring the plan. YOURS FOREVER  • No Subscriptions: Buy Span once, and it is yours forever.  • Private by Design: Your data stays on your device. No accounts, no cloud servers, no tracking.  • Offline: Works perfectly without an internet connection. FEATURES  • Visual Timeline  • One-Tap "Skip" logic for flexible days  • CSV Import for complex and lengthy schedules  • Custom Category Colours & emoji title support. • Simple Backup & Restore features, keeping your schedules protected. Reclaim your day with Span.

About

Inklings

Features
Read full description

Inklings is a pencil-first notebook for iPad. No keyboard, no touch input, no distractions. Just you and your Apple Pencil. AN INFINITE GRID OF PAGES Inklings gives you an infinite 2D grid of fixed-size pages, like index cards spread across a huge table. Navigate quickly between pages, or zoom out to see your whole notebook at once and rearrange pages by hand. FEELS LIKE PAPER Pages never zoom or pan accidentally. Rotate your iPad and the content stays put, just like a paper notebook. Fixed page sizes. Each page is its own space. Stuff stays where you put it. YOUR TOOLS Pens, pencils, and highlighters in multiple colours. Light and dark mode. Everything you need, nothing you don't. NOTEBOOKS Keep multiple notebooks and create new ones as your ideas grow. Zoom out to see them all at a glance. EXPORT TO OBSIDIAN Export any notebook as a JSON Canvas file for archiving in Obsidian. Each page exports as a folder of JPEGs with an accompanying .canvas file for importing directly to Obsidian.

Screenshots

Span4 screens
Inklings1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Inklings at Free against Span's $0.99. Inklings also leads on iOS requirement (17.5 vs 26.1). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Inklings is free to download; Span costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Span versus Inklings: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpanInklings
Price$0.99Free — better
Update frequency—Every 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.117.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSamuel AttwoodTimothy Lloyd

In-app purchases

None

Span

No in-app purchases

None

Inklings

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Span free?
Span costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Inklings free?
Inklings is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Span or Inklings have ads?
Neither Span nor Inklings shows ads.

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