Comparison

Cipher vs Mana

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

Head to head
About

Cipher

Features
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Cipher turns your voice into organized notes β€” and now into reminders and calendar events too. 100% free. 100% on-device. Speak freely, AI does the rest. No account. No cloud. No subscription. Open the app and talk. WHAT IT DOES Tap record and speak. Cipher transcribes you in real time, then AI structures everything automatically: β€’ A clean title and short summary β€’ A project tag (Personal, Work, Health, Finance, or your own) β€’ Searchable keywords NEW: AI THAT ACTUALLY DOES THINGS Cipher's AI doesn't just read your notes β€” it acts on them. β€’ "Remind me to call Mom on Friday" β†’ real reminder, on your iPhone β€’ "Schedule a call with Sarah next Tuesday at 3pm" β†’ calendar event, created β€’ "Find me a free hour this week" β†’ AI checks your calendar and suggests slots β€’ Todos with deadlines can become reminders automatically Every action asks for your confirmation first. Nothing happens behind your back. ASK FLOW β€” CHAT WITH YOUR NOTES A built-in AI chat that already knows what you've recorded. β€’ Ask anything about your past notes β€” "what did I say about Q3?" β€’ Summarize a day, a week, or a project in one tap β€’ Brainstorm with an AI that builds on your own ideas PRIVATE BY DESIGN β€’ 100% on-device AI β€” works offline, on a plane, anywhere β€’ No login, no sign-up, no tracking, no analytics β€’ Your voice and notes never leave your phone β€’ Stored in your iPhone's secure storage FREE FOREVER No subscription. No paywall. No in-app purchases. Use every feature, forever, without paying. CHOOSE YOUR AI Pick from a wide range of free open-source AI models that run entirely on your device β€” from lightweight options that work on any iPhone to larger, higher-quality models for newer devices. Cipher recommends the right one for your phone. Prefer cloud AI? Bring your own key from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Groq, DeepSeek, or OpenRouter. Your key, direct to the provider β€” no middleman, no markup. SMART TODO EXTRACTION AI catches action items from natural speech β€” "I need to," "remember to," "should," "have to" β€” and pulls out deadlines automatically. View every todo across every note in one place. PROJECT ORGANIZATION Notes auto-sort into projects. Create your own. See note counts and todo progress at a glance. WHO IT'S FOR β€’ Students capturing lecture thoughts β€’ Founders dumping ideas between meetings β€’ Writers thinking through drafts out loud β€’ Anyone whose best ideas show up while walking, driving, or in the shower Cipher is for people who think out loud. Capture the thought β€” let AI do the organizing, and now, the scheduling too.

About

Mana

Features
Read full description

Save your mana. See what’s left in your AI subscriptions before your next task. Mana brings your remaining AI quotas and reset times into one clear view. β€’ Check five-hour and weekly limits and monthly quota. β€’ Tap a reset countdown to see the date and time. β€’ Pull down to refresh. Mana also checks every minute while open. β€’ Keep your quotas close with Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets. iOS controls widget updates; they are not live meters. Provider subscriptions and service access are separate from Mana. Small, focused, and open source. No charts to study. Just a place to check your mana. Save a spell for the boss fight. Requires iPhone with iOS 18 or later, a supported provider account, and an internet connection. Mana does not include alerts, usage history, multiple accounts per provider, or cloud sync. Antigravity is available only in Mana for Mac.

Screenshots

Cipher4 screens
Mana4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Cipher at 16.0 against Mana's 18.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Cipher versus Mana: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCipherMana
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksβ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.0 β€” better18.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size69 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAgrima PandeyCristian Caroli

In-app purchases

None

Cipher

No in-app purchases

None

Mana

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cipher free?
Cipher is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mana free?
Mana is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Cipher or Mana have ads?
Neither Cipher nor Mana shows ads.

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