im.ai vs KnowItOwl!
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
im.ai
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im.ai is a hybrid AI chat assistant that gives you the freedom to choose between running powerful language models locally on your iPhone or iPad, or connecting to leading cloud AI providers. LOCAL MODELS - PRIVACY FIRST • Run AI models directly on your device using llama.cpp • Keep all conversations completely private and offline • Support for popular open-source models including Llama, Falcon, Qwen, Gemma, and more • Download models with automatic progress tracking • No internet connection required for local inference • Optimized for iOS devices with efficient memory usage CLOUD PROVIDERS - UNLIMITED POWER • Connect to multiple AI providers with your own API keys • Google Gemini - Fast, powerful multimodal models • Groq - Lightning-fast inference • OpenRouter - Access to hundreds of models • Cerebras - State-of-the-art performance • GitHub Models - Developer-friendly AI access POWERFUL FEATURES • Beautiful markdown rendering with code syntax highlighting • Session management to organize your conversations • Model switching on the fly • Adaptive text size with Dynamic Type support • API key management with secure storage • Background model downloads • Low memory footprint optimized for mobile • Native SwiftUI for iOS NO SUBSCRIPTIONS, NO TRACKING • One-time purchase, yours forever • No data collection or telemetry • No account required for local models • Bring your own API keys for cloud providers Whether you need privacy-focused local inference or access to the latest cloud AI capabilities, im.ai puts you in control. Perfect for developers, researchers, and anyone who values privacy without compromising on AI power.
KnowItOwl!
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KnowItOwl! puts a voice-first question-and-answer assistant on your Apple Watch and iPhone. Raise your wrist, ask a question, and hear a concise answer spoken aloud. On iPhone, you can also type questions, review your shared conversation history, replay saved audio, choose a voice, and manage credits. KEY FEATURES - Apple Watch voice questions with spoken answers - Voice or text questions on iPhone - Concise answers grounded with Google Search when available - Multilingual transcription and responses - Four selectable voices: two multilingual and two English - Shared conversation history across iPhone and Apple Watch - Watch face complications for quick launch - Digital Crown volume control during Watch playback - Encrypted message text and audio storage - No advertising or third-party behavioral tracking HOW CREDITS WORK Each voice or text question uses one credit. New accounts receive a 20-credit welcome gift, and 5 free credits are added each month. Credits do not expire. Additional consumable credit packs are available from iPhone and Apple Watch; App Store Connect supplies the localized prices. PRIVACY Before the first question, KnowItOwl! explains what data is processed and asks for permission. Voice recordings or typed questions and up to three recent messages are sent through Sandy Brook DevWorks' authenticated backend to Google Cloud Speech-to-Text, Vertex AI Gemini, Google Search grounding, and Cloud Text-to-Speech as needed to produce an answer. Permission can be withdrawn at any time from Settings, which stops new AI questions on both iPhone and Apple Watch until it is allowed again. Message content and stored audio are encrypted on the device before they are saved to Firebase. See the privacy policy for retention and service-provider details.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: im.ai at none against KnowItOwl!'s 3. On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. KnowItOwl! sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. im.ai asks for nothing beyond the download.
im.ai ships an update every 2 months, KnowItOwl! every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | im.ai | KnowItOwl! |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Dmitry Kuznetsov | Jaime Reyes |
In-app purchases
im.ai
No in-app purchases
KnowItOwl!
- Standard (30 Credits)$6.99
- Popular (60 Credits)$12.99
- Power (120 Credits)$24.99









