Comparison

SecondBrain vs Median

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

Head to head
About

SecondBrain

This app automatically transcribes, titles, and files your spoken thoughts, creating a self-organizing note system. It can convert voice notes into calendar events, provide daily summaries, and allow you to chat with your saved information.

Highlights
  • Automatic transcription and titling
  • AI-powered self-organizing notes
  • Voice to calendar event creation
  • Daily morning briefing summaries
  • Chat with your notes for answers
  • 3D brain graph visualization
  • Full-text search
  • Cross-app sharing
Features
Read full description

Most of what you hear, think and plan today is gone by tomorrow. Speak your mind. SecondBrain writes it down, gives it a title, and files it for you. No folders to manage. No typing. Just talk, and your thoughts organize themselves. The AI note app for people who think out loud. WHY SECONDBRAIN • Capture in seconds: speak, type, or share a thought and it is saved instantly • Zero organizing: AI transcribes, titles, and files every note into a self-building folder tree • Voice to schedule: say "dentist Tuesday 4pm" and it creates real events in Calendar and Reminders • Morning briefing: wake up to a daily summary of your day and what matters • Ask your brain: chat with your notes and get answers from everything you have saved • Brain graph: explore your ideas as a living 3D map of connected notes • Search everything: full-text search finds any note in an instant • Share from anywhere: send text, links, images, or audio from any app into SecondBrain • 20+ languages: speak in your language and get replies in your language BUILT FOR BUSY MINDS Founder juggling clients, student capturing lectures, or just someone with too many thoughts to hold? SecondBrain is the frictionless place to put them all. Brain-dump on the go and let the AI do the filing. WORKS WHERE YOU DO Your notes sync to the web at app.secondbrain.icu. Pro users can connect SecondBrain as memory for AI assistants through the MCP connector. SECONDBRAIN PRO Go unlimited: unlimited notes, unlimited AI capture and answers, plus the AI assistant connector. Start with a free trial, then subscribe yearly or monthly. Cancel anytime. Payment is charged to your Apple ID. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: https://secondbrain.icu/privacy

About

Median

This app helps you break free from mindless scrolling when you wake up. It allows you to select apps that distract you and delays their access until your morning routine is complete. Track your progress and build healthier habits with personalized insights.

Highlights
  • Delay access to distracting apps
  • Customizable morning routine duration
  • Track Morning Score and history
  • Receive motivational morning notes
  • Privacy-focused design
  • Integrates with Apple Screen Time
Features
Read full description

Not everything deserves immediate access to you. HOW IT WORKS Choose the apps that tend to pull you in when you wake up. Choose when your morning can begin and how long it lasts. From then on, Median starts on its own the first time you pick up your phone, and those apps wait until your morning is done. Nothing to remember, nothing to switch on. EVERYTHING ELSE STILL WORKS Alarms, calls, messages, maps and music stay on. Only the scrolling has to wait. WHEN YOU REACH ANYWAY Median doesn't just put up a wall. It asks one honest question: was there a reason, or did your hand just go? Then it offers something better to do with the moment. If you still want in, you can open the app. Median shows what that costs your streak or your Morning Score first, and the choice is yours. WATCH THE HABIT CHANGE Every morning is recorded, started on your terms or not. Your Morning Score and history show the pattern over weeks, so you can see the habit break for good. A GOOD THOUGHT INSTEAD If you like, Median sends one note the first time you pick up your phone: motivation, grounding, or a line from your faith tradition. One a morning, never more. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Median works through Apple's Screen Time. It never learns which apps you chose, never sees what you do in them, and never records your screen. SUBSCRIPTION Median is a subscription with two plans. Yearly: a 7-day free trial, then billed once a year. Monthly: billed each month, cancel whenever you want. Prices for your region are shown in the app before you subscribe. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase, or when the free trial ends. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for the renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel any time in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Median Terms: https://usemedian.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://usemedian.app/privacy Independently made.

Screenshots

SecondBrain4 screens
Median4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: SecondBrain at free with in-app purchases against Median's subscription. SecondBrain also leads on ratings volume (6 vs 1) and device support (3 vs 1). Median's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. SecondBrain sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and Median sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for SecondBrain against 5.0 for Median. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SecondBrain has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SecondBrain ships an update every 3 days, Median every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
SecondBrain versus Median: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSecondBrainMedian
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (6 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings6 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.4
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB78 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperFederico CesariniJOHN JOSEPH GRECO

Customer experience

SecondBrain

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Median

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

SecondBrain

Subscriptions3
  • SecondBrain Pro$8.991 Month
  • SecondBrain Pro Yearly3 Days trial$34.991 Year
  • SecondBrain Pro Yearly3 Days trial$44.991 Year
2 purchases

Median

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Yearly7 Days trial$34.991 Year

Questions

Is SecondBrain free?
SecondBrain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Median free?
Median is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SecondBrain or Median?
SecondBrain and Median are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 6 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do SecondBrain or Median have ads?
SecondBrain shows ads; Median does not.
Which is updated more often, SecondBrain or Median?
SecondBrain ships an update every 3 days, and Median every 2 days. Most recently, SecondBrain was updated on October 24, 2026 and Median on October 22, 2026.

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