Comparison

Spaced Recall vs Zettelkasten

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

Head to head
About

Spaced Recall

Features
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Spaced Recall is a notes app that makes sure you remember what you write. Write a note, from a single fact to a page with headings, lists and pictures, and Spaced Recall brings it back for review just before you would forget it: after a few days, then a week, two weeks, a month and longer each time you remember it. WRITING NOTES • Headings, bold, italics, highlights, bulleted and numbered lists, checklists and quotes • Add a picture from your camera or your photos • Sort notes into categories, and rename a category by holding it • Search your library, and export or import it at any time REVIEWING • Each day's reviews are a short stack you swipe through. A long note scrolls, and the next swipe moves on. • Choose how many reviews a day and which days you rest, and your reviews are spread to fit • Reminders at the times you choose, one note for each • The calendar shows what is coming up and what you have done. Hold a note to move it to another day. • Keep a streak, rise through the ranks, and pause everything with holiday mode LANGUAGES Practise Spanish, Italian, French or Seychellois Creole a few words at a time, from the language into English or the other way round. The drill finds your level from the first few words, and each direction keeps its own progress. THE LIBRARIAN An assistant that can tidy your categories, find notes, move reviews and change settings for you. Nothing changes until you confirm it. WORKS WITH CLAUDE AND CHATGPT Connect an AI assistant under Account, Your data, then ask it to save a note to Spaced Recall in the middle of a conversation, or to quiz you on what is due today. FRIENDS, IF YOU WANT THEM With an account, your library syncs with the web app at spacedrecall.app, and you can add friends, chat, share notes, put a note up as a story for a day and see the leaderboard. You can also share a note with anyone by link. You can report or block anyone, and delete your account from inside the app. Without an account, everything stays on your iPhone. Spaced Recall is free. An optional tip jar adds a supporter badge to your name and unlocks nothing else. Rainbow, the monthly supporter tier, is an auto-renewing subscription. You can cancel it at any time in your Apple ID settings. Terms of Use: https://spacedrecall.app/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://spacedrecall.app/privacy/

About

Zettelkasten

Features
Read full description

Stop losing ideas in a pile of disconnected notes. NoteOrbit is a linked-notes app that turns everything you write into a living knowledge graph — every note becomes a node you can see, connect, and explore. Most note apps bury your thinking in folders. NoteOrbit does the opposite: type a note, drop a [[wiki-link]] to any other note, and the connection is built for you — both ways. Open any note and you instantly see what references it. Then step back and watch your ideas orbit as a glowing constellation you can pan, zoom, and tap to follow the thread. WHAT YOU GET - Write a note, add a [[wiki-link]], and NoteOrbit autocompletes titles and wires up the connection for you - Automatic backlinks so every note shows exactly what links to it — context folders can never give you - An interactive orbit graph that lays out your notes by how they actually connect - Instant tags with #hashtags to slice your notes any way you think - Hubs and orphans finder that surfaces your most-connected ideas and the notes hanging loose - Full-text search across every note, title, and link PERFECT FOR - Students and researchers building study and reference notes that reinforce each other - Writers and thinkers growing a personal knowledge base or second brain - Zettelkasten and PKM fans who want backlinks without a heavy desktop setup - Anyone journaling ideas and projects who wants to rediscover old connections WHY NOT JUST USE FOLDERS Folders force every note into one place and hide how your ideas relate. NoteOrbit lets a note live in as many contexts as it links to, then draws the map for you — so the connection you made months ago is one tap away, not lost three folders deep. PRIVACY Everything stays on your device. No account, no sign-in, no ads, no tracking. Your notes never leave your phone. FULL ACCESS NoteOrbit Premium unlocks the full experience: unlimited notes and connections, the complete interactive orbit graph, hubs, tags and the orphan finder, plus Markdown export to take your notes anywhere. Choose the plan that fits: - Weekly - Yearly - Lifetime (one-time purchase) Open NoteOrbit, write your first note, and link it — watch your thinking take shape. Terms of Use (EULA): https://web-levi.web.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://web-levi.web.app/privacy-policy Questions? tphuc.work@gmail.com

Screenshots

Spaced Recall4 screens
Zettelkasten4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Spaced Recall at every 9 days against Zettelkasten's monthly. Spaced Recall also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Spaced Recall sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.00 per month and Zettelkasten sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spaced Recall ships an update every 9 days, Zettelkasten monthly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 5 level
Spaced Recall versus Zettelkasten: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpaced RecallZettelkasten
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSTEVEN DENCHEVPhuc Pham

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Spaced Recall

Subscriptions1
  • Rainbow tip$3.001 Month
One-time3
  • Bronze tip$1.00
  • Silver tip$2.00
  • Gold tip$5.00
2 purchases

Zettelkasten

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly$9.997 Days
  • Yearly3 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Spaced Recall free?
Spaced Recall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Zettelkasten free?
Zettelkasten is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Spaced Recall or Zettelkasten have ads?
Neither Spaced Recall nor Zettelkasten shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Spaced Recall or Zettelkasten?
Spaced Recall ships an update every 9 days, and Zettelkasten monthly. Most recently, Spaced Recall was updated on October 31, 2026 and Zettelkasten on October 31, 2026.

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