Aside vs Reflect Open
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Aside
Read full descriptionHide full description
The private voice notes app with on-device AI transcription. Capture ideas instantly, transcribe offline, and let AI organize your thoughts — all without sending data to the cloud. Your voice recordings never leave your iPhone. ▸ YOUR VOICE, YOUR PRIVACY Unlike other voice apps, Aside processes everything on your iPhone. Your thoughts never leave your device. No servers. No data collection. No compromises. • On-device transcription powered by Apple Speech • AI features powered by Apple Intelligence (iOS 26+) • Syncs only through your personal iCloud account • We literally cannot access your data ▸ CAPTURE THOUGHTS INSTANTLY Open the app. Tap. Speak. Done. • Start recording in under 200ms • Works completely offline — capture ideas anywhere • Auto-saves if interrupted by calls or notifications • Siri Shortcuts for hands-free capture ▸ AI THAT RESPECTS YOU (iOS 26+) Let on-device AI do the organizing so you can focus on thinking. • Auto-summarize long recordings into one-liners • Smart tags extracted from your words • Action items detected automatically • Ask questions about your thoughts in natural language ▸ FIND ANY THOUGHT, ANYTIME Never lose an idea again. • Full-text search across all transcripts • Filter by tags, favorites, or date • AI-powered natural language queries • "What did I think about the marketing plan?" ▸ DESIGNED FOR APPLE Native experience across your devices. • Home Screen widgets for quick capture • Lock Screen widget for instant access • Apple Watch app for capture on the go • Siri Shortcuts integration • iCloud sync across all your devices ▸ BUILT FOR BUSY MINDS Perfect for professionals, creatives, and anyone who thinks faster than they type. • Zero-friction capture — no folders or setup required • AI organizes for you, not the other way around • Great for ADHD brains that need quick capture • Works beautifully for journaling, brainstorming, meeting notes, and sudden inspiration ▸ FLEXIBLE PRICING FREE: • 10 thoughts per day • On-device transcription • Basic search • 1 widget PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION Aside Premium is available with the following subscription options: Premium Monthly: $7.99/month Premium Annual: $59.99/year (Save 37%) — includes 7-day free trial Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your App Store account settings after purchase. Terms of Service: https://aside.bulpara.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://aside.bulpara.com/privacy ▸ YOUR DATA, YOUR CONTROL Export everything anytime. Delete everything instantly. Your data belongs to you. --- Questions? support@bulpara.com
Reflect Open
Read full descriptionHide full description
Reflect Open is a local-first note-taking app for daily notes, linked thinking, and private AI over your own files. Start each day in a daily note, capture meetings, ideas, tasks, and journal entries, then connect people and projects with wiki-style links. Reflect builds a personal graph from ordinary Markdown files, with fast search, backlinks, and optional semantic search that runs on-device. Your notes stay yours. Reflect has no account, no telemetry, and no Reflect-hosted cloud service. Notes are stored as plain Markdown in a folder you choose, with a rebuildable local SQLite index beside them. Optional AI chat, transcription, and sync features only run when you connect your own provider or storage, and private notes are blocked from external AI calls. Highlights: - Daily notes first, with quick capture into today. - Wiki links and backlinks instead of folders. - Full-text search and optional on-device semantic search. - Optional bring-your-own-key AI chat over your notes. - Audio memos with optional BYOK transcription. - iCloud Drive or Git-based sync using files you own. - Markdown source of truth for long-term portability. - Keyboard-native, minimal interface built for focus. Terms of Use: https://reflect.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://reflect.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Reflect Open at 16.0 against Aside's 26.0. On price, 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
Both are free to download. Aside sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Reflect Open sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | Aside | Reflect Open |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | — | Every 9 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BULPARA TEKNOLOJI LIMITED SIRKETI | Reflect App, LLC |
In-app purchases
Aside
- Aside Monthly$4.991 Month
- Aside Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Reflect Open
- Reflect Pro Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Reflect Pro Yearly7 Days trial$99.001 Year









