# Forge vs SecondBrain

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Forge | SecondBrain |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forge-master-yourself/id6760416489/reviews) | [5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secondbrain-ai-memory/id6762130376/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **6** |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 39 MB | 73 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nexo Development LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1826662765) | [Federico Cesarini](https://appshunter.io/developer/1888767256) |

## What reviewers say

### Forge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forge-master-yourself/id6760416489)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Forge Weekly | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Forge Annual | $39.99 | per year |


### SecondBrain

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secondbrain-ai-memory/id6762130376)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SecondBrain Pro | $8.99 | per month |
| SecondBrain Pro Yearly | $34.99 | per year |
| SecondBrain Pro Yearly | $44.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*