Comparison

Second Brain vs Cadence

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

Head to head
About

Second Brain

Features
Read full description

The first ADHD app that comes ready to use - no setup, no configuration, no building from scratch. Every productivity app expects you to design the system yourself. By the time you're done setting up, you've already lost momentum. Second Brain flips that. Open the app and you'll find a library of 20+ real-life tasks - paying bills, refilling prescriptions, scheduling appointments, doing laundry, filing taxes - each broken into small, clear steps you can follow one at a time. DAILY ROUTINES Install a Morning Routine, Evening Wind-Down, or Sunday Reset and get guided through your day one card at a time. Customize them or build your own. CHECK-INS Gentle prompts throughout the day. Feeling off track? Tap into a recovery flow and reset without judgment. HANDS-FREE MODE Tasks are read aloud as you go - perfect for mornings when your phone is across the room. SMART DEFAULTS Recurring tasks regenerate automatically. Tasks surface when they're due - not before. Your most recent task stays at the top. Less clutter, less thinking. No account. No cloud. No subscription. Your data stays on your device. Built for the ADHD brain that wants a second brain - without having to build one.

About

Cadence

Read full description

Your day, drawn around your rhythm โ€” not against it. Cadence is the planner built for the way your brain actually works. Instead of rigid to-do lists that mock you when the day falls apart, Cadence quietly rebalances your plan so slipped tasks find the next right moment. No guilt, no rebuilding from scratch, no starting over tomorrow. Built for people with ADHD, suspected ADHD, autism, AuDHD, and anyone whose days refuse to run on a 9-to-5 timeline. WHY CADENCE โ€ข DAY FLEX ENGINE โ€” When you miss a task, Cadence moves it to the next best slot in your day. No manual dragging. Your plan flexes with you, not against you. โ€ข ENERGY-BASED SCHEDULING โ€” Tell Cadence once when your mornings, afternoons, and evenings run hot. High-energy tasks land in high-energy windows. Low-energy tasks stay out of the way. โ€ข GENTLE RHYTHM, NOT ALARMS โ€” No jarring notifications. No red overdue counters. Just quiet suggestions that meet you where you are. โ€ข EVERYTHING LIVES ON YOUR PHONE โ€” No sign-in, no cloud sync, no account to forget. Your answers, your rhythm map, your plan โ€” all stored locally on your device. Nothing shared. HOW IT WORKS 1. A 90-second onboarding shapes the app around YOU โ€” your energy pattern, the kind of mind you're working with, the things that usually drain you. 2. We generate your first week โ€” tasks placed on the windows where your brain tends to show up. 3. Miss one? Day Flex moves it. Finish one? The rhythm shifts a little. Every day, the plan is a little more yours. CADENCE PRO Start with the basics for free. Upgrade when you want the full rhythm engine. PRO UNLOCKS: โ€ข Day Flex auto-rebalance โ€” the engine that moves slipped tasks โ€ข Energy-based scheduling โ€” automatic high/low-energy placement โ€ข Rhythm analytics + journal โ€” see your weeks, track what shifts โ€ข Gentle notification nudges โ€” calibrated to your pattern, not a clock โ€ข Focus mode โ€” quiet, distraction-free task execution SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION โ€ข Cadence Pro Annual: $59.99/year with a 7-day free trial โ€ข Cadence Pro Monthly: $9.99/month (no trial) Payment charged to your Apple ID at purchase confirmation. Subscription auto-renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the current period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings > Apple ID > Subscriptions. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://cadence-legal.vercel.app/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Cadence isn't trying to fix you. It's trying to give you a day that fits. Quietly. Without the shame spiral. Without the blank Monday. Your rhythm is already in there. Cadence just listens.

Screenshots

Second Brain4 screens
Cadence4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Second Brain at none against Cadence's 2. Cadence's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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. Cadence sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Second Brain asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Second Brain versus Cadence: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSecond BrainCadence
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksโ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.615.1 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size2 MB52 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJikku ChackoAdam Kaminski

In-app purchases

None

Second Brain

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Cadence

Subscriptions2
  • Cadence Pro7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Cadence Pro Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Second Brain free?
Second Brain is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cadence free?
Cadence is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Second Brain or Cadence have ads?
Neither Second Brain nor Cadence shows ads.

Other comparisons