Comparison

Pearstudio vs Kioku

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

Head to head
About

Pearstudio

Features
Read full description

DOCUMENTS AND PROMPTS - Import a document and takes out the names and dates when needed. - Combine it with a prompt and preview the result. - Check the estimated token count. - Bring documents in from this device or another one on your network. PROMPT MANAGEMENT - Save your prompts, then tag and search them. - Give a prompt fill-in fields, and sentences you can switch on or off. - Answer them when you use it. The saved prompt stays as written. - Refine the wording with Apple Intelligence. - Insert a saved prompt into another app with the Pearstudio keyboard. Prompt refinement is available where Apple Intelligence is enabled. PDF TOOLS Merge PDFs or compress them. OFFLINE Documents, prompts, and PDFs are handled on your device. ICLOUD SYNC Sessions and prompts stay in sync over iCloud. Access them on Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

About

Kioku

Features
Read full description

Kioku is a personal knowledge library for Mac. Save articles, PDFs, websites, and your own Markdown notes into organized vaults you can read, search, annotate, and keep with you offline. Use Kioku to turn scattered research into a calm, durable library. Paste a URL to archive a single page, save a PDF from your Mac, or crawl more of a site when you want a deeper reference vault. Kioku stores your content as Markdown with downloaded assets, so your library stays portable and readable outside the app. Write your own notes with a focused Markdown editor, add images, create internal links, and keep authored notes separate from saved web pages. While reading, select passages to save excerpts and notes so important ideas do not disappear after the first pass. Kioku also includes optional local AI features for summaries, retrieval, chat, and study cards. Supported models run on your Mac, keeping those experiences local to your device. Features: Save articles, PDFs, pages, and websites into Markdown vaults Read saved content offline in a native Mac interface Write and edit Markdown notes Organize saved pages into vaults Search your library Annotate passages and save excerpts Generate summaries with optional on-device AI Create study cards from saved pages and notes Store content in a local or iCloud Drive-backed folder Keep your library portable with Markdown files and assets Kioku is for readers, researchers, students, builders, and anyone who wants a quieter place to collect what matters.

Screenshots

Pearstudio4 screens
Kioku4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Kioku at every 2 days against Pearstudio's every 2 weeks. Pearstudio's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pearstudio ships an update every 2 weeks, Kioku every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Pearstudio versus Kioku: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPearstudioKioku
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.6 โ€” better26.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size5 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBraveyo LLCKai Kang

In-app purchases

None

Pearstudio

No in-app purchases

None

Kioku

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pearstudio free?
Pearstudio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Kioku free?
Kioku is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pearstudio or Kioku have ads?
Neither Pearstudio nor Kioku shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pearstudio or Kioku?
Pearstudio ships an update every 2 weeks, and Kioku every 2 days. Most recently, Pearstudio was updated on October 31, 2026 and Kioku on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons