Comparison

Mind Archive vs Kobako

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

Head to head
About

Mind Archive

Features
Read full description

A personal library for everything worth remembering. Mind Archive is an aesthetic notes app that organises your journals, PDFs, recipes and ideas as beautiful books on your own shelves. A calm, private place for what actually matters to you. Not another notes app you'll abandon in a month. A library you'll actually want to open. YOUR PERSONAL LIBRARY Every note is a book. Every book sits on a shelf. Every shelf lives in a bookcase you design yourself. Organise your journal, recipes, reading notes, travel plans, work projects and daily thoughts the way you naturally sort what you care about β€” no folders, no tags, no complicated systems to learn. EIGHT WAYS TO REMEMBER Choose the right kind of book for what you're capturing: - Notes with rich text, checklists, images and file attachments - Journals with dated entries for reflections and gratitude - Recipes with structured ingredients and step-by-step method - PDFs that remember your last read page and bookmarks - Photo albums you can reorder and swipe through - Voice memos grouped together in one place - Files you can open with any app - Links you want to come back to THE NOTICEBOARD A beautiful cork-board canvas for quick captures and gentle reminders. Pin posters with photos, colours, patterns or text β€” set optional reminders that fire when you need them. Perfect as a family fridge board, mood board, weekly planner, or a home for the little things that don't need a whole book. SYNC EVERYWHERE Start writing on iPhone and pick up on the web at mindarchive.io. Your library stays perfectly in sync across every device. Local-first architecture means it works offline too β€” your library is always yours, always to hand. MAKE IT YOURS Design a library that feels like yours. Choose a preset theme like Rich Classic, Colour Pop or Minimalist, or build your own with the custom colour picker β€” every book cover, every shelf, every background. Toggle between spine view and cover view. Every corner of your library reflects the way you think. FIND ANYTHING, INSTANTLY Search across every book, shelf and word. Browse the collapsible Index view for a bird's-eye look at your whole library. Pin bookmarks to any book spine for one-tap access to what matters most. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your library is yours alone. Encrypted local storage, no advertising, no tracking, no AI training on your content. Change your email or password anytime, and delete your account in a single tap if you ever want to leave. IMPORT, EXPORT, KEEP FOREVER Export any book, shelf or entire bookcase to a .mindarchive file and share it, back it up, or move it elsewhere. Import PDFs and files directly from Safari, Mail, Files or any other app using the iOS Share extension. TRY MIND ARCHIVE PRO FREE Every feature, every book type, every theme β€” free for 7 days. Build your library, sync it across your devices, make it yours. No commitment, cancel anytime. You won't be charged until your trial ends. AVAILABLE IN English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese. MADE IN SCOTLAND Built independently by Barrel of Sunshine Ltd. Privacy Policy: https://www.mindarchive.io/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.mindarchive.io/terms

About

Kobako

Features
Read full description

Kobako β€” Japanese for β€œsmall box” β€” is a quick place to put an idea down before it slips away. Kapi, a capybara, lives there and looks after whatever you leave. CATCH IT IN A SECOND β€’ Tap the bulb and type or dictate β€” the idea is saved before the thought is gone β€’ Capture straight from a Home Screen widget or a Control Center button β€’ Kapi notices a new idea and cheers you on EVERYTHING IN ONE FEED β€’ New ideas land in Inbox and lie as cards right on the app’s Home β€’ A row of folders sits above the feed: tap one to see only its ideas β€’ Sort by newest, oldest, priority or due date β€’ An idea that grows gets a fresh page laid over it β€” up to five, with the earlier thinking still readable underneath β€’ Search finds any idea or folder in a few letters CLOSE IT, KEEP IT Tick a card when an idea is done, and it flies into Closed. Nothing disappears: finished ideas rest there, and any of them can be reopened. A QUIET FRIEND Kapi putters about his window library and naps while you are away; a tap wakes him. Once a day, around eight in the evening, he knocks to ask how the day went β€” and skips it if the app was already opened that evening. AT HOME ON EVERY SCREEN β€’ iPhone, iPad and iPhone Duo β€” two panes side by side on iPad in landscape and on the open Duo β€’ Dark theme throughout; Reduce Motion honoured everywhere Kapi moves β€’ 10 languages YOURS ALONE No account and no sign-in. Your ideas stay on your device. Questions or a hello: hello@kobako.app Terms of Use: https://kobako.app/terms

Screenshots

Mind Archive4 screens
Kobako4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Kobako at every 5 weeks against Mind Archive's every 6 months. Mind Archive's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Mind Archive sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Kobako sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mind Archive ships an update every 6 months, Kobako every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Mind Archive versus Kobako: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMind ArchiveKobako
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 5 weeks β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 β€” better18.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size102 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBarrel of SunshineAleksandr Gaidash

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Mind Archive

Subscriptions2
  • Mind Archive Pro$2.991 Month
  • Mind Archive Pro7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Mind Archive Pro$49.99
4 purchases

Kobako

Subscriptions2
  • Kobako Plus Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Kobako Plus Yearly$49.991 Year
One-time2
  • Supporter Pack$2.99
  • Rich Capybara$9.99

Questions

Is Mind Archive free?
Mind Archive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Kobako free?
Kobako is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Mind Archive or Kobako have ads?
Neither Mind Archive nor Kobako shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mind Archive or Kobako?
Mind Archive ships an update every 6 months, and Kobako every 5 weeks. Most recently, Mind Archive was updated on October 28, 2026 and Kobako on October 29, 2026.

Other comparisons