Comparison

JotBunker vs Second Brain

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

Head to head
About

JotBunker

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JotBunker is a note-taking app for your phone and your computer. You jot on your phone. You work and store in your Bunker, a secure computer on your home network. Sync happens over your local Wi-Fi when you choose. No cloud. No accounts. No data ever leaves your network. FOUR WORKSPACES โ€ข Jots: Six numbered slots for quick capture. Each slot holds text, drawings, photos, voice recordings, and file attachments. Fill the slots, sync them to your computer, and clear them for the next round. โ€ข Lists: Todos and checklists. Rename categories, reorder items, check things off on either device. Changes merge when you reconnect. โ€ข Locked Lists: Gate codes, lock combos, membership numbers, safe combinations. Protected behind biometrics and auto-locked the moment you navigate away. โ€ข Scratchpads: Six freeform text areas. Start a thought on your computer, pick it up on your phone. HOW SYNC WORKS Pair once by scanning a QR code. After that, tap Sync whenever you're on your home network. All network traffic is encrypted end-to-end with NaCl. Nothing goes through an external server. From your computer, download jots as plain files (.txt, .jpg, .m4a, .pdf) into folders you choose. Use them with anything: search tools, scripts, a PKM system, or just File Explorer. OPEN SOURCE JotBunker source code is publicly available under the GPL-3.0 license at github.com/johnbrantly/jotbunker. The companion desktop app is available at jotbunker.com.

About

Second Brain

Features
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Second Brain is your offline-first personal knowledge management app. Capture every idea, note, and insight โ€” and never lose a thought again. No ads. No tracking. No account required. Your data stays on your device. FEATURES: โ€ข Rich Notes โ€” Write with Markdown support, add images, link notes together โ€ข Collections โ€” Organize notes into collections with icons and colors โ€ข Tags โ€” Tag anything for instant filtering โ€ข Daily Notes โ€” One note per day, automatically created โ€ข Goals โ€” Track personal goals with milestones and progress โ€ข Book Notes โ€” Capture key takeaways from books you read โ€ข Quotes โ€” Save your favorite quotes โ€ข Knowledge Graph โ€” See how your ideas connect visually โ€ข Bi-directional Links โ€” Link notes and see backlinks automatically โ€ข Full-Text Search โ€” Find anything instantly โ€ข Favorites & Archive โ€” Star important notes, archive the rest โ€ข Quick Capture โ€” Capture thoughts from the home screen widget โ€ข Face ID / Touch ID โ€” Lock your app for privacy โ€ข iCloud Backup โ€” Optional, off by default โ€ข Export โ€” PDF, CSV, Markdown โ€ข 15 Languages โ€” English, Turkish, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Russian PRIVACY FIRST: Second Brain collects zero data. No analytics, no tracking SDKs, no servers. Everything lives on your device. PREMIUM (one-time purchase): Unlock unlimited notes, collections, Knowledge Graph, exports, Face ID, and home screen widgets with a single lifetime purchase.

Screenshots

JotBunker4 screens
Second Brain4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: JotBunker at none against Second Brain's 1. JotBunker also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Second Brain sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. JotBunker asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

JotBunker ships an update every 3 days, Second Brain every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
JotBunker versus Second Brain: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJotBunkerSecond Brain
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 days โ€” betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS15.115.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size46 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJohn BrantlySelahattin Bozat

In-app purchases

None

JotBunker

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Second Brain

One-time1
  • Second Brain Premium$9.99

Questions

Is JotBunker free?
JotBunker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Second Brain free?
Second Brain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do JotBunker or Second Brain have ads?
Neither JotBunker nor Second Brain shows ads.
Which is updated more often, JotBunker or Second Brain?
JotBunker ships an update every 3 days, and Second Brain every 3 months. Most recently, JotBunker was updated on October 15, 2026 and Second Brain on October 16, 2026.

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