Comparison

Forge vs SecondBrain

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

Head to head
About

Forge

This app provides a daily operating system for men focused on self-improvement. It offers a brief morning ritual with a principle and question, followed by an evening reflection guided by an AI mentor to foster consistency and growth.

Highlights
  • Daily AI mentor guidance
  • Morning principle and question
  • Evening reflection and insight
  • Personalized goal setting
  • Streak tracking
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Forge is a daily operating system for men who refuse to stay the same. Every morning, your AI mentor delivers a principle, asks one sharp question, and helps you set a clear intention for the day. Every evening, you reflect on what you executed, where you fell short, and what the lesson was. Two rituals. Five minutes total. No fluff. YOUR MORNING RITUAL - A hand-picked quote from history's greatest minds — not just Stoics, but athletes, warriors, writers, and leaders - One focused question tailored to your goals and growth stage - A direct mentor response that treats you like a capable adult - Set your daily intention in one line YOUR EVENING REFLECTION - Honest assessment of your day: what worked, what didn't - AI-generated insight connecting your morning intention to your evening reflection - Pattern recognition that surfaces what you keep avoiding - A closing quote to end the day with clarity BUILT FOR MEN WHO SHOW UP - No therapy language. No coddling. No participation trophies - Your mentor adapts to your experience level and grows with you - Personalized to your goals: discipline, physical strength, mental clarity, career, or all of the above - Time-gated rituals that build real consistency — miss the window, own it THE DETAILS - Dark, premium interface designed for focus - Morning ritual window based on your selected start time - Evening reflection unlocks at 6 PM - Streak tracking and history to measure your progress - Works offline with intelligent fallbacks Forge doesn't ask you to journal for 30 minutes or meditate in a field. It asks you to show up for five minutes, be honest, and get better. Your forge is ready. --- SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS Forge offers auto-renewing subscriptions: - Weekly subscription (7 days) - Annual subscription (1 year) - Pricing is displayed in-app and may vary by region Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscription at any time in your App Store account settings. --- Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://dog-whippet-aa5.notion.site/Forge-Privacy-Policy-31ce055e3717802d835acad5a9968778

About

SecondBrain

This app automatically transcribes, titles, and files your spoken thoughts, creating a self-organizing note system. It can convert voice notes into calendar events, provide daily summaries, and allow you to chat with your saved information.

Highlights
  • Automatic transcription and titling
  • AI-powered self-organizing notes
  • Voice to calendar event creation
  • Daily morning briefing summaries
  • Chat with your notes for answers
  • 3D brain graph visualization
  • Full-text search
  • Cross-app sharing
Features
Read full description

Most of what you hear, think and plan today is gone by tomorrow. Speak your mind. SecondBrain writes it down, gives it a title, and files it for you. No folders to manage. No typing. Just talk, and your thoughts organize themselves. The AI note app for people who think out loud. WHY SECONDBRAIN • Capture in seconds: speak, type, or share a thought and it is saved instantly • Zero organizing: AI transcribes, titles, and files every note into a self-building folder tree • Voice to schedule: say "dentist Tuesday 4pm" and it creates real events in Calendar and Reminders • Morning briefing: wake up to a daily summary of your day and what matters • Ask your brain: chat with your notes and get answers from everything you have saved • Brain graph: explore your ideas as a living 3D map of connected notes • Search everything: full-text search finds any note in an instant • Share from anywhere: send text, links, images, or audio from any app into SecondBrain • 20+ languages: speak in your language and get replies in your language BUILT FOR BUSY MINDS Founder juggling clients, student capturing lectures, or just someone with too many thoughts to hold? SecondBrain is the frictionless place to put them all. Brain-dump on the go and let the AI do the filing. WORKS WHERE YOU DO Your notes sync to the web at app.secondbrain.icu. Pro users can connect SecondBrain as memory for AI assistants through the MCP connector. SECONDBRAIN PRO Go unlimited: unlimited notes, unlimited AI capture and answers, plus the AI assistant connector. Start with a free trial, then subscribe yearly or monthly. Cancel anytime. Payment is charged to your Apple ID. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: https://secondbrain.icu/privacy

Screenshots

Forge4 screens
SecondBrain4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: SecondBrain at free with in-app purchases against Forge's subscription. SecondBrain also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). Forge's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Forge sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days and SecondBrain sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Forge against 5.0 for SecondBrain. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 6 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Forge ships an update every 4 days, SecondBrain every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Forge versus SecondBrain: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterForgeSecondBrain
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings36 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNexo Development LLCFederico Cesarini

Customer experience

Forge

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

SecondBrain

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Forge

Subscriptions2
  • Forge Weekly3 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • Forge Annual$39.991 Year
3 purchases

SecondBrain

Subscriptions3
  • SecondBrain Pro$8.991 Month
  • SecondBrain Pro Yearly3 Days trial$34.991 Year
  • SecondBrain Pro Yearly3 Days trial$44.991 Year

Questions

Is Forge free?
Forge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SecondBrain free?
SecondBrain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Forge or SecondBrain?
Forge and SecondBrain are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 6 ratings respectively.
Do Forge or SecondBrain have ads?
SecondBrain shows ads; Forge does not.
Which is updated more often, Forge or SecondBrain?
Forge ships an update every 4 days, and SecondBrain every 3 days. Most recently, Forge was updated on October 5, 2026 and SecondBrain on October 10, 2026.

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