Comparison

Active Notes vs Drift

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

Head to head
About

Active Notes

This app uses AI to transform visual information like screenshots and emails into actionable notes, reminders, and calendar events. It helps reduce digital clutter and syncs seamlessly with your calendars and devices.

Highlights
  • AI-assisted visual capture from screenshots, emails, and URLs
  • Unified calendar sync with Apple and Google Calendars
  • Self-cleaning workspace that removes past events/tasks
  • Elegant delivery tracking for packages
  • Shared circles for effortless note sharing
  • Family sharing included with subscription
Features
Read full description

Stop being the only one who remembers. You know it's early release Thursday. You know the party RSVP is due Friday, practice moved to 4:30, and nobody has thought about dinner. Nobody else knows, because it lives in your camera roll and your head. Active Notes takes it from there. Screenshot the school email, the party invite or the sign-up flyer. The date goes on your calendar with a reminder, the to-do is written for you, and the note clears itself once the day has passed. Nothing to type, nothing to set up. Free to use, no account needed. NOTHING FALLS THROUGH THE CRACKS Early release. The birthday party RSVP. Practice moved to 4:30. Screenshot it and the date lands on Apple Calendar, or Google Calendar with a free account, with a reminder before it starts. When a flyer asks something of you, like "RSVP by Friday" or "sign up by Wednesday", the note offers it as a to-do. Screenshot the dress or the deal and it's in To Buy with the price and the link. Say yes to the calendar once and every event after lands on its own. Each morning a short digest tells you what today holds. All free. YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS With Premium, share a list with your household and it's on their phone the moment you add something. Screenshot an invite into Family Events and it lands on everyone's calendar. Add milk from the couch and it's on their list before they reach the aisle; a tick on their phone is a tick on yours. Nobody asks "what time is the party?" again. Joining is free for them. DINNER, DECIDED Share a recipe from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or any website and it arrives ready to cook from: the ingredients to tick, the step you're on lit, every "simmer 20 minutes" a timer. Plan tonight's dinner from the recipes you saved. All free. With Premium, plan the whole week together, fill the empty nights in a tap, and send every ingredient to one grocery list with the amounts added up. FREE • Screenshots you share, read and filed • Events on Apple Calendar, with reminders • Suggested to-dos from flyers and emails • A morning and evening digest of your day • Recipes ready to cook from, and tonight's dinner planned • Lists and To Buy, on your Apple Watch too A free account (Apple or Google) adds Google Calendar, notes kept forever, and joining your household. PREMIUM: THE WHOLE HOUSEHOLD, HANDLED • Your household on the same page: shared lists, Family Events on everyone's calendar, one cookbook on both phones • The week's dinners planned, with one grocery list • Every new screenshot read the moment you take it, no tap needed, and cleared from your camera roll • Your notes on iPhone, iPad and Mac, backed up • Apple Family Sharing: everyone in your family gets Premium Also included: live package tracking, your digest read in a natural voice, a weekly recap, pin to top and priority support. $4.99 a month, or $39.99 a year with a 7-day free trial. Cancel anytime. One purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac. IT CLEANS UP AFTER ITSELF Once the party is over, the note removes itself. We call it the Visual Offload System™, and the feeling is Permission to Safely Forget™. Keep the notes you want. Recipes never clear themselves. IT READS THE SCREENSHOT. ONLY THE SCREENSHOT. You never ask it anything, and it never reads your email or messages, sends anything or spends your money. Smart Extraction sends the image to a cloud AI provider to pull out the details, never to train models, and can be turned off. Shared lists sync to your household. No ads, no trackers, nothing sold. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled 24 hours before the period ends; manage them in your App Store settings. Terms: https://www.getactivenotes.com/termsofservice.html Privacy: https://www.getactivenotes.com/privacypolicy.html

About

Drift

This task manager is designed for individuals with ADHD, offering a gentle system that automatically reschedules tasks without guilt. It uses AI to break down large tasks into smaller steps and allows for task management through natural conversation.

Highlights
  • Guilt-free automatic task rescheduling
  • AI chat for task management
  • Smart decomposition of large tasks
  • Engage mode for starting tasks
  • Momentum dashboard with insights
  • Organize tasks with Spaces
  • Customizable themes
Features
Read full description

Drift is task management built for brains that work differently. No red overdue badges. No guilt. Just a calm, intelligent system that moves with you — not against you. BUILT FOR ADHD, LOVED BY EVERYONE Traditional to-do apps treat missed deadlines as failures. Drift treats them as information. When you don't get to something today, it drifts forward automatically — gently, without judgment. Because rescheduling isn't failing. It's your brain finding the right moment. AI THAT ACTUALLY HELPS Talk to your tasks like you'd talk to a friend. Add tasks, reschedule them, mark them done, or ask for help — all through natural conversation. No menus, no friction. Drift's AI also breaks overwhelming tasks into small, manageable steps (5–15 minutes each) designed for low activation energy. FEATURES THAT GET YOU • Guilt-free drifting — tasks reschedule automatically, no shame attached • AI chat — create, complete, and manage tasks through conversation • Smart decomposition — big tasks broken into tiny, ADHD-friendly steps • Engage mode — guided walkthroughs when you're struggling to start • Quick wins — short tasks surface first to build momentum • Recurring tasks — daily, weekly, or monthly with subtask templates • Calendar views — 3-day, weekly, and monthly layouts • Momentum dashboard — streaks, insights, and weekly patterns • Energy levels — match tasks to how you feel right now • Spaces — organize by context: Work, Home, Health • Someday list — a judgment-free parking lot for ideas not ready yet • 8 beautiful themes — Midnight, Forest, Ocean, Twilight, and more UNDERSTAND YOURSELF BETTER Weekly reports celebrate progress instead of highlighting failures. See when you're most productive, discover your patterns, and get AI-generated insights about what's working for you. STAY FOCUSED WITH ENGAGE MODE Struggling to start? Engage mode walks you through tasks step by step with encouragement and progress tracking. Choose your tone: Direct, Balanced, or ADHD-friendly. YOUR DATA, YOUR RULES Drift uses end-to-end encryption and never sells your data. Your tasks and patterns stay private. Whether you have ADHD, struggle with executive function, or just want a kinder way to manage your day — Drift is the app that finally works with your brain.

Screenshots

Active Notes4 screens
Drift4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Active Notes at 5.0 against Drift's 3.7. Drift's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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. Active Notes sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Drift asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Active Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Active Notes ships an update every 3 months, Drift monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Active Notes versus Drift: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterActive NotesDrift
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better3.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews—50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings23 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size76 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGriffin Optics LLCCody Spraker

Customer experience

Active Notes

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

Drift

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Active Notes

Subscriptions4
  • Premium Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Active Notes Premium Monthly$12.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Active Notes Premium Yearly7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Active Notes Premium Lifetime$299.00
None

Drift

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Active Notes free?
Active Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Drift free?
Drift is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Active Notes or Drift?
Active Notes is rated higher. Active Notes averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Drift averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Active Notes or Drift have ads?
Neither Active Notes nor Drift shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Active Notes or Drift?
Active Notes ships an update every 3 months, and Drift monthly. Most recently, Active Notes was updated on November 13, 2026 and Drift on November 9, 2026.

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