Comparison

ThoughtsLeft vs dfCal

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

Head to head
About

ThoughtsLeft

Capture your fleeting thoughts, ideas, and worries quickly through typing or voice. Organize them into tasks or notes, or simply let them go. Gain insights into your thinking patterns and maintain mental clarity.

Highlights
  • Instant thought capture (type or voice)
  • Organize thoughts with swipe gestures
  • Spoken Thought for hands-free capture
  • Time-based task manager
  • Notes repository
  • Activity insights
  • Optional Pro upgrade for advanced features
Features
Read full description

ThoughtsLeft is a brain dump app for people who think too much: late-night spirals, half-finished ideas, worries you can't shake, things you're scared to forget. Get them all out fast, before the mental clutter takes over. Capture however it comes to you. Type it, or speak it out loud as a Spoken Thought. No structure required, no "right way" to do it. Just thought capture, fast. Then decide on your own time. Organize thoughts into a task, note or simply let them go completely with one swipe, because not every worry needs to become something. KEY FEATURES: • Instant thought capture for ideas, worries, and reminders • Capture from anywhere with the Action Button, Siri, or a Home Screen long-press • Swipe gestures to organize thoughts into tasks or notes • Spoken Thought for hands-free, voice-based capture • Batch processing sessions for inbox zero • Time-based task manager (Today, Tomorrow, This Week, Someday) • Notes repository for everything you want to keep • Activity insights into your thinking patterns • App lock with Face ID, or Touch ID • Dark and light themes • 100% private by default, all thoughts stay on your device (optional iCloud sync available) • Export all your thoughts or delete them anytime OPTIONAL PRO UPGRADE
 ThoughtsLeft works fully without upgrading. For deeper reflection, focus, and mental clarity, an optional PRO upgrade is available. Thought Timeline & History • View your complete thought history • See how thoughts become tasks, notes, or released items • Reflect on your thinking patterns over time Pattern Insights • Discover when your mind is loudest • Understand your overthinking habits Custom Scheduling • Set exact dates and times for tasks and get notified • Plan with more clarity and precision iCloud Sync • Keep your thoughts backed up and synced with iCloud • Your thoughts stay private, sync is always optional Apple Calendar Sync • Automatically sync your Thoughts Left tasks to your Apple Calendar • View your to-dos right alongside your daily events Premium Themes • Unlock 5 calming, nature-inspired themes • Personalise your space for reflection and focus Available as a one-time purchase or an annual subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

dfCal

This app helps you manage your schedule and boost productivity with smart calendar views, time pocket discovery, and productivity analytics. It also includes task management, goal tracking, and a focus timer to optimize your day.

Highlights
  • Smart calendar views
  • Natural language event creation
  • Time pocket discovery
  • Productivity analytics
  • Smart task management
  • Focus timer
  • Goal tracking
Features
Read full description

dfCal is the intelligent calendar app designed to help you take control of your schedule, boost productivity, and make the most of every day. SMART CALENDAR VIEWS - Beautiful month, week, and day views with event indicators - Seamless sync with Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook - Quick natural language event creation — just type "Lunch with John tomorrow at 2pm" - Color-coded calendars to organize work, personal, and more FIND YOUR FREE TIME - Time Pockets automatically discovers available slots in your day - See exactly when you have 30 minutes, 1 hour, or more available - Never double-book again with visual day overview PRODUCTIVITY ANALYTICS - Track how you spend your time with detailed insights - See your productivity score and get personalized tips - Busiest hours chart to optimize your schedule - Weekly, monthly, and quarterly time audits SMART TASK MANAGEMENT - Create tasks with due dates, priorities, and reminders - Recurring tasks that automatically advance when completed - Priority levels from Low to Urgent with visual indicators - Sync tasks with Google Tasks POWERFUL TOOLS - Focus Timer for deep work sessions - Tally Counter for tracking habits and counts - Calendar Sets to quickly switch between work and personal views - Schedule Templates to block focus time automatically GOAL TRACKING - Set weekly goals for meetings and focus work - Track your progress toward time targets - Meeting cost calculator to understand the true cost of meetings BUILT FOR PRIVACY - Your data stays on your device - Secure OAuth authentication with Google and Microsoft - No tracking, no ads, just productivity Whether you're a busy professional, student, or anyone looking to optimize their time, dfCal gives you the tools to understand and improve how you spend each day. Download dfCal today and transform the way you manage your time.

Screenshots

ThoughtsLeft4 screens
dfCal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: dfCal at 5.0 against ThoughtsLeft's 3.0. dfCal also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 11 days). On price, ratings volume, ads 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

Both are free to download. ThoughtsLeft sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. dfCal asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

dfCal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ThoughtsLeft ships an update every 11 days, dfCal every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ThoughtsLeft versus dfCal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThoughtsLeftdfCal
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJayasrinivasan VaradharajanAnanda Theerthan Jagannathan

Customer experience

ThoughtsLeft

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

dfCal

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

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ThoughtsLeft

Subscriptions1
  • Thoughts Left PRO7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Thoughts Left Pro$24.99
None

dfCal

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ThoughtsLeft free?
ThoughtsLeft is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is dfCal free?
dfCal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ThoughtsLeft or dfCal?
dfCal is rated higher. ThoughtsLeft averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while dfCal averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do ThoughtsLeft or dfCal have ads?
Neither ThoughtsLeft nor dfCal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ThoughtsLeft or dfCal?
ThoughtsLeft ships an update every 11 days, and dfCal every 4 days. Most recently, ThoughtsLeft was updated on October 1, 2026 and dfCal on September 21, 2026.

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