Comparison

MemNote vs RelatedWorks

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

Head to head
About

MemNote

This app automatically anchors your notes to the time, place, and device they were created on, enabling recall through association. It offers a fast, mobile-first experience with offline reliability and cross-platform synchronization.

Highlights
  • Automatic context logging (location, time, device)
  • Recall via association (map and timeline views)
  • Local-first, private, and cloud-synced notes
  • Markdown native with AI compatibility
  • Cross-platform synchronization
  • Fast startup and offline-first reliability
Features
Read full description

MemNote: Take notes, improve recall Stop losing fleeting ideas to the void. MemNote is the first context-aware note-taking application designed to work the way your brain does: by association. Most note apps are just static text editors. You write something down, but weeks later, you can't remember why you wrote it or where you were. MemNote solves this by automatically anchoring every thought to the time, place, and device where it was created—giving you total recall without the effort. Fast and mobile-first MemNote is fast and lightweight, available on all platforms, and designed from the ground up to be mobile-first. Automatic context logging You focus on the content; we handle the context. MemNote passively records: * Location: Automatically geotags notes so you can find them on a map later. * Time: precise timestamps to visualize your thoughts on a timeline. * Device: Know exactly which device you used -- did I take this note on my laptop, or on my phone while watching TV? Recall via association Map and timeline views allow you to browse notes by their meta-data -- if you took a note at that restaurant you were at last Tuesday, the note will show up at the restaurant location on the map, and at the time you took the note on the timeline. Local-first, private, and available everywhere Your thoughts are private and available everywhere, any time. For performance and reliability, we store and search notes locally. For backup and availability across devices, we sync notes to the cloud. Data is encrypted both at rest and in transit. Markdown native, no lock-in Write in pure Markdown. Your data is portable, readable, and never locked into a proprietary format. You can export your notes as a well organized zip file that contains any relative links and attachments. Meta-data is retained in YAML front-matter. AI compatible MemNote uses Markdown with LaTeX extensions to allow you to copy-paste responses from your favorite AI assistant into your notes without any formatting issues. Key features: * Fast startup * Offline-first reliability * Automatic geolocation & timestamping * Cross-platform synchronization (with native apps on Windows, MacOS, Android, and iPhone) * Beautiful, distraction-free interface * Powerful timeline & map views Don't just take notes. Improve recall. Download MemNote today and upgrade your second brain.

About

RelatedWorks

Features
Read full description

RelatedWorks is a native macOS and iOS/iPadOS app built for Computer Science researchers. It helps you manage the papers you read, annotate them with cross-referenced notes, and automatically draft the Related Works section of your next paper. Features * Project-based workspaces — one project per paper you're writing * Import PDFs with AI-powered metadata extraction (macOS only) * PDF Inbox via Share Extension — send PDFs from Safari or Files into a synced Inbox, then bulk import captured papers on macOS * Search DBLP and arXiv to fetch bibliographic data automatically (macOS only) * Semantic IDs — give each paper a short memorable tag like @Transformer or @BERT * Cross-reference annotations — link papers using @mentions in your notes * Citation Graph — compare @mentions, in-project references, and shared outside references for each project (macOS only) * Generate a streaming LaTeX-ready Related Works draft with one click (macOS only) * Per-project generation prompts with presets for Survey, Research Paper, Tech Report, or Custom (macOS only) * Export BibTeX entries fetched from DBLP or auto-generated (macOS only) * iCloud Drive sync — keep your library in sync across Mac and iPhone/iPad * Export, import, and open projects from Finder as .relatedworks files (macOS); import projects on iPhone and iPad * Supports Ollama and Google Gemini (macOS only) * iPhone and iPad companion app — browse papers, review notes, and make lightweight edits on the go * Automation and linking support — relatedworks:// deep links, read-only AppleScript, and Hookmark integration On iPhone and iPad, RelatedWorks is designed primarily as a companion viewer and lightweight editor for your research library. The iOS/iPadOS app does not require or rely on any AI backend; instead, it syncs your library seamlessly from the macOS version via iCloud. You can comfortably browse papers, review notes, and refine annotations on the go, making it easy to continue working on your literature and prepare for writing wherever you are. Any annotations you edit on iPhone or iPad automatically sync back to your Mac, providing a smooth “go-and-work” experience for paper reading and writing.

Screenshots

MemNote4 screens
RelatedWorks4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: RelatedWorks at every 5 days against MemNote's every 2 weeks. MemNote's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MemNote ships an update every 2 weeks, RelatedWorks every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 3, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
MemNote versus RelatedWorks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMemNoteRelatedWorks
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRandom FactJunxue ZHANG

In-app purchases

None

MemNote

No in-app purchases

None

RelatedWorks

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MemNote free?
MemNote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RelatedWorks free?
RelatedWorks is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do MemNote or RelatedWorks have ads?
Neither MemNote nor RelatedWorks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MemNote or RelatedWorks?
MemNote ships an update every 2 weeks, and RelatedWorks every 5 days. Most recently, MemNote was updated on October 3, 2026 and RelatedWorks on October 3, 2026.

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