Lucid vs Cipher
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lucid
This app offers a minimalist and intuitive note-taking experience, allowing users to organize thoughts with fluid, block-based editing. It features gesture-driven navigation and unique caret movement for efficient idea connection and management.
- Minimalist and intuitive design
- Block-based editing for organizing ideas
- Gesture-driven navigation
- Bookmark any section
- Unique caret movement with spacebar
Read full descriptionHide full description
■ Beautifully minimal Intuitive & clean design that keeps you in the flow. A note-taking app that gets out of your way. ■ Connect ideas Organize thoughts as they form. Freely move and nest ideas with fluid, block-based editing. ■ Gesture driven • Swipe right to focus on any subsection • Swipe left to collapse a section • Navigate through parent blocks by swiping from the edge • Pull down to add a block at the top or tap empty space to add at the bottom ■ Other features • Bookmark any section, not just top-level notes • Easily move the caret between blocks by holding the spacebar (not possible in other outliners) ■ Roadmap Lucid is in early development and many more features are coming soon: • External links • Bidirectional linking • Desktop app & iCloud sync • More themes and customization options For the philosophy and reasoning behind the app, visit https://thelucidnotes.com/
Cipher
Read full descriptionHide full description
Cipher turns your voice into organized notes — and now into reminders and calendar events too. 100% free. 100% on-device. Speak freely, AI does the rest. No account. No cloud. No subscription. Open the app and talk. WHAT IT DOES Tap record and speak. Cipher transcribes you in real time, then AI structures everything automatically: • A clean title and short summary • A project tag (Personal, Work, Health, Finance, or your own) • Searchable keywords NEW: AI THAT ACTUALLY DOES THINGS Cipher's AI doesn't just read your notes — it acts on them. • "Remind me to call Mom on Friday" → real reminder, on your iPhone • "Schedule a call with Sarah next Tuesday at 3pm" → calendar event, created • "Find me a free hour this week" → AI checks your calendar and suggests slots • Todos with deadlines can become reminders automatically Every action asks for your confirmation first. Nothing happens behind your back. ASK FLOW — CHAT WITH YOUR NOTES A built-in AI chat that already knows what you've recorded. • Ask anything about your past notes — "what did I say about Q3?" • Summarize a day, a week, or a project in one tap • Brainstorm with an AI that builds on your own ideas PRIVATE BY DESIGN • 100% on-device AI — works offline, on a plane, anywhere • No login, no sign-up, no tracking, no analytics • Your voice and notes never leave your phone • Stored in your iPhone's secure storage FREE FOREVER No subscription. No paywall. No in-app purchases. Use every feature, forever, without paying. CHOOSE YOUR AI Pick from a wide range of free open-source AI models that run entirely on your device — from lightweight options that work on any iPhone to larger, higher-quality models for newer devices. Cipher recommends the right one for your phone. Prefer cloud AI? Bring your own key from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Groq, DeepSeek, or OpenRouter. Your key, direct to the provider — no middleman, no markup. SMART TODO EXTRACTION AI catches action items from natural speech — "I need to," "remember to," "should," "have to" — and pulls out deadlines automatically. View every todo across every note in one place. PROJECT ORGANIZATION Notes auto-sort into projects. Create your own. See note counts and todo progress at a glance. WHO IT'S FOR • Students capturing lecture thoughts • Founders dumping ideas between meetings • Writers thinking through drafts out loud • Anyone whose best ideas show up while walking, driving, or in the shower Cipher is for people who think out loud. Capture the thought — let AI do the organizing, and now, the scheduling too.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Lucid at every 2 weeks against Cipher's every 5 weeks. 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Lucid ships an update every 2 weeks, Cipher every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lucid | Cipher |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 69 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | illia chaban | Agrima Pandey |
In-app purchases
Lucid
No in-app purchases
Cipher
No in-app purchases









