Comparison

Lucid vs Aino

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

Head to head
About

Lucid

Organize your thoughts with a minimalist, gesture-driven note-taking app. Connect and nest ideas fluidly with block-based editing. Bookmark sections and navigate easily with intuitive gestures.

Highlights
  • Minimalist and intuitive design
  • Fluid, block-based editing
  • Gesture-driven navigation
  • Bookmark any section
  • Spacebar caret navigation
Features
Read 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/

About

Aino

A fast, focused Markdown workspace for building a personal knowledge system. Connect ideas and turn notes into a structured, evolving network. Ideal for capturing thoughts, organizing knowledge, or building your second brain with a clean and powerful interface.

Highlights
  • Markdown-first editing
  • Connected notes
  • Structured thinking
  • Focused experience
  • Personal LifeOS
  • Link ideas
Features
Read full description

Aino is a fast, focused Markdown workspace for building your personal knowledge system. Write in pure Markdown, connect ideas, and turn your notes into a structured, evolving system. Whether you're capturing thoughts, organizing knowledge, or building your second brain, Aino gives you a clean and powerful space to think. KEY FEATURES • Markdown-first editing Write naturally in Markdown with a fast and minimal editor. • Connected notes Link your notes together and build a network of ideas. • Structured thinking Turn scattered notes into a coherent system. • Focused experience No clutter. Just writing, thinking, and connecting. • Your personal LifeOS Aino grows with you as your knowledge system evolves. Aino is designed for people who think deeply and write often. Start building your second brain today. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://aino.md/legal/privacy

Screenshots

Lucid4 screens
Aino4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lucid at none against Aino's 3. Lucid also leads on ratings volume (5 vs 1). Aino's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Aino sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Lucid asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Lucid against 5.0 for Aino. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lucid has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lucid ships an update every 2 weeks, Aino weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Lucid versus Aino: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLucidAino
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB99 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerillia chaban宜丙 林

Customer experience

Lucid

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Aino

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Lucid

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Aino

Subscriptions3
  • Aino Pro Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Aino Pro Founder Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Aino Pro Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Lucid free?
Lucid is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Aino free?
Aino is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Lucid or Aino?
Lucid and Aino are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Lucid or Aino have ads?
Neither Lucid nor Aino shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lucid or Aino?
Lucid ships an update every 2 weeks, and Aino weekly. Most recently, Lucid was updated on October 14, 2026 and Aino on October 15, 2026.

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