Comparison

Maho Notes vs Recall

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

Head to head
About

Maho Notes

A beautiful Markdown note-taking app that keeps your words secure. Notes are stored as plain .md files, with options for local storage or syncing via iCloud or GitHub. It offers advanced search capabilities and supports various Markdown features.

Highlights
  • Plain .md file storage
  • iCloud and GitHub sync options
  • On-device semantic search
  • Full CommonMark + GFM support
  • KaTeX math and Mermaid diagrams
  • Hierarchical collections and vaults
Features
Read full description

Maho Notes is a markdown-based note-taking app for people who care about their words — and want to keep them. Every note is a plain .md file on your device. No proprietary format, no vendor lock-in, no servers you don't control. Sync through your own iCloud, your own GitHub repo, or keep notes purely local — your choice. FREE, NO STRINGS Maho Notes is completely free. Every feature is included — no subscription, no paywall, no ads, no account to create. If the app earns a place in your workflow, there's an optional tip jar in Settings. Tipping unlocks nothing; it just says thanks. A NOTES APP THAT SPEAKS YOUR LANGUAGE Full multilingual support, including search across English, 中文 (Traditional Chinese), 日本語 (Japanese), and 한국어 (Korean) — powered by a CJK-aware tokenizer that actually understands word boundaries in each language. Add furigana to Japanese kanji, Zhuyin to Mandarin, Tâi-lô to Taiwanese, or readings to Korean — all with one simple syntax: {漢字|ふりがな}. THREE WAYS TO SEARCH • Keyword search — fast SQLite FTS5 across every note • Semantic search — on-device vector embeddings find ideas, not just words • Hybrid — both, fused into one ranked list Models run entirely on-device. Nothing about your notes leaves your hardware. WRITTEN IN MARKDOWN, RENDERED BEAUTIFULLY • Full CommonMark + GitHub Flavored Markdown • KaTeX math equations • Mermaid diagrams • Syntax-highlighted code blocks • Ruby annotations for any language • Image and asset embedding • Tables, task lists, footnotes ORGANIZE YOUR WAY Vaults hold collections. Collections hold notes. Drag-and-drop reordering, custom icons and colors, hierarchical sub-collections, and per-collection ordering — all stored in plain YAML you can read. • iCloud — seamless across your Apple devices • GitHub — version your notes as a private repo, sync through your own account using GitHub's official Device Flow login (no third-party server in the middle) • Device-only — keep everything offline Conflicts get clearly-named files (note.conflict-DeviceName.md), never silent overwrites. UNIVERSAL APP One free download covers iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Optimized layouts for each: a focus-friendly stack on iPhone, a three-column workspace on iPad and Mac, with the same vault wherever you are.

About

Recall

This AI-powered application allows you to search and retrieve specific details from your saved memories. It can recall forgotten names, past decisions, and past events by processing text, photos, tags, and locations you've stored. Explore connections between memories and revisit moments through a private, offline experience.

Highlights
  • AI-powered memory search
  • Retrieve forgotten details
  • Capture text, photos, tags, location
  • Link related memories
  • Map visualization of memories
  • Offline functionality
  • Private and secure storage
Features
Read full description

Recall: The Memory App Ask your memories anything. Recall is an AI that reads everything you've saved and answers in plain language. The name you forgot, the decision you made, the moment you thought was gone. Type a question, get your memory back. Capture Text, photos, tags, and location. Add a reminder so nothing slips past you. Ask "What did I decide about X?" "What happened last summer?" "Who gave me that advice?" Recall searches your entire library and responds with the exact memory, date, detail, and all. Explore Link related memories together. See where moments happened on a map. Follow connections you didn't know existed. Yours alone Everything syncs across your devices automatically. Works offline. Your memories stay private.

Screenshots

Maho Notes3 screens
Recall4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Recall at none against Maho Notes's 3. On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Maho Notes sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Recall 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 Maho Notes against 5.0 for Recall. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Maho Notes versus Recall: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMaho NotesRecall
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKuo-Chuan PanKabilan Senapathy

Customer experience

Maho Notes

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Recall

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

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Maho Notes

One-time3
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Medium Tip$4.99
  • Large Tip$9.99
None

Recall

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Maho Notes free?
Maho Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Recall free?
Recall is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Maho Notes or Recall?
Maho Notes and Recall are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Maho Notes or Recall have ads?
Neither Maho Notes nor Recall shows ads.

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