Comparison

dol vs Ariv

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

Head to head
About

dol

Features
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dol is a notes app you write in markdown. Your notes live on your device, and you decide which server they sync through. โ–  Everything you would expect Live preview as you type. [[Wikilink]] autocompletion and backlinks. Search across titles and bodies. Find and replace inside a note. Nested folders and image attachments. โ–  Sync that goes nowhere else Your iPhone, iPad, and the Windows and Mac apps all see the same notes, and they travel through a CouchDB server you choose. Run your own or use a host โ€” either works. Setup takes about five minutes from the settings screen, and your password is stored only in the iOS keychain. โ–  Sync is optional Leave it off and your notes stay on this device. No internet connection needed. โ–  Import and export Bring in a folder of .md files you already have. Or go the other way: export every note and image as a single zip.

About

Ariv

Features
Read full description

Ariv is a local-first second brain for notes, tasks, journaling, study, projects, and personal knowledge management. Capture ideas, organize work, search your vault, ask questions about your notes, and keep your thinking connected without building a complicated plugin setup. Everything is built in: - Markdown notes and daily writing - Smart dashboard for active work - Tasks and Kanban - Quick capture - Voice memos with transcription - Ask Brain, an AI assistant for your notes - Calendar-aware planning and meeting context - Graph view and visual maps - Templates and presentation mode - Unified search across files, tags, and content Ariv is designed around a simple idea: your notes have a life. New thoughts land in your inbox. Active notes stay visible while you are working on them. Older notes move out of the way but stay searchable, linkable, and ready to resurface when you need them. No manual filing system required. No weekend spent setting up plugins. Open the app and start thinking. Your files stay yours: - Notes are stored as plain Markdown - Works with existing Markdown folders and vaults - No proprietary format - No account required to use the local app - Optional end-to-end encrypted sync is available AI is optional and on your terms. Use your own API key, run supported local models, or use Ariv's managed AI add-on. Ask Brain can answer questions from your vault and point back to the notes it used. Whether you are a student, writer, researcher, developer, founder, or lifelong learner, Ariv gives you one place to capture, connect, and use what you know. Think freely. No setup required.

Screenshots

dol4 screens
Ariv4 screens

Verdict

The call

dol and Ariv are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters โ€” price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

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

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
dol versus Ariv: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterdolAriv
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeeklyโ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size13 MB86 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPraxo StudioAriv Studios

In-app purchases

None

dol

No in-app purchases

None

Ariv

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is dol free?
dol is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ariv free?
Ariv is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do dol or Ariv have ads?
Neither dol nor Ariv shows ads.

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