Comparison

Ember vs Second Brain

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

Head to head
About

Ember

A fast and organized workspace for writing Markdown notes, storing PDFs, diagrams, and voice memos. It offers a vault for reusable prompts and syncs across Apple devices. Start for free with full editor access.

Highlights
  • Rich Markdown editor
  • Inline PDF and image support
  • Reusable prompt vault
  • Daily notes, folders, and tags
  • Instant search functionality
  • Private iCloud sync
  • Share Extension
Features
Read full description

Your notes should feel like home. Ember is a warm, fast place to think — Markdown notes, PDFs, diagrams, voice memos, and a vault of reusable prompts, all in one calm workspace that syncs across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. WRITE IN RICH MARKDOWN A live editor with real formatting: headings, tables, task lists, links, highlights, footnotes, and code — rendered as you type, never in your way. Bullets, numbers, and checkboxes feel native and effortless. MORE THAN TEXT Drop PDFs, images, diagrams, and voice notes right inline. Your references live beside your writing, so everything about a thought stays in one place. A VAULT FOR YOUR PROMPTS Keep the prompts you reuse for writing, research, and planning in a dedicated Prompt Vault — organized, searchable, and a tap away when you need them. STAY ORGANIZED, STAY FAST Daily notes, folders, tags, smart filters, and pinned notes keep things tidy, and instant search finds anything the moment you look for it. YOURS EVERYWHERE Ember runs natively on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with optional private iCloud sync, widgets, and a Share Extension for capturing from anywhere. FREE TO START Capture notes, PDFs, prompts, and attachments with the full editor — free, no account required. EMBER PRO Unlock advanced themes and alternate icons, premium writing and organization workflows, and deeper Prompt Vault tools, as a subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No accounts. No ads. No selling your words. Your notes stay on your device and your own iCloud. Make a home for your thinking. Download Ember Notes. TERMS & PRIVACY Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://embernotes.app/privacy

About

Second Brain

Features
Read full description

Second Brain is your offline-first personal knowledge management app. Capture every idea, note, and insight — and never lose a thought again. No ads. No tracking. No account required. Your data stays on your device. FEATURES: • Rich Notes — Write with Markdown support, add images, link notes together • Collections — Organize notes into collections with icons and colors • Tags — Tag anything for instant filtering • Daily Notes — One note per day, automatically created • Goals — Track personal goals with milestones and progress • Book Notes — Capture key takeaways from books you read • Quotes — Save your favorite quotes • Knowledge Graph — See how your ideas connect visually • Bi-directional Links — Link notes and see backlinks automatically • Full-Text Search — Find anything instantly • Favorites & Archive — Star important notes, archive the rest • Quick Capture — Capture thoughts from the home screen widget • Face ID / Touch ID — Lock your app for privacy • iCloud Backup — Optional, off by default • Export — PDF, CSV, Markdown • 15 Languages — English, Turkish, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Russian PRIVACY FIRST: Second Brain collects zero data. No analytics, no tracking SDKs, no servers. Everything lives on your device. PREMIUM (one-time purchase): Unlock unlimited notes, collections, Knowledge Graph, exports, Face ID, and home screen widgets with a single lifetime purchase.

Screenshots

Ember4 screens
Second Brain4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Ember at every 10 days against Second Brain's every 3 months. Second Brain's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Ember sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Second Brain sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ember ships an update every 10 days, Second Brain every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Ember versus Second Brain: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmberSecond Brain
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRene DeAndaSelahattin Bozat

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Ember

Subscriptions2
  • Ember Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Ember Pro Annual$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • Ember Pro Lifetime$99.99
1 purchases

Second Brain

One-time1
  • Second Brain Premium$9.99

Questions

Is Ember free?
Ember is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Second Brain free?
Second Brain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Ember or Second Brain have ads?
Neither Ember nor Second Brain shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ember or Second Brain?
Ember ships an update every 10 days, and Second Brain every 3 months. Most recently, Ember was updated on October 9, 2026 and Second Brain on October 16, 2026.

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