Comparison

Startiny vs Glass Notes

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

Head to head
About

Startiny

Features
Read full description

For brains that freeze when the task is too big. Most to-do apps were built for people whose brains pick up big tasks and just...start. ADHD brains often can't. Working memory leaks. Time feels fuzzy. "File my taxes" stays on the list for six months because nobody knows what step one is. Startiny is the to-do app built for the way ADHD brains actually work. KEY FEATURES AI Task Breakdown Paste a brain dump. Get 5-7 clear, manageable steps (10-30 minutes each), automatically. The "where do I start?" moment, gone. You don't plan the work. You start step 1. Smarter Time Estimates Generic productivity apps assume your brain works like the engineer who built them. Startiny watches your real completions and quietly recalibrates the estimates over time. "30 min" that always took you 90 stops saying 30. Flexible Streaks Bad day? Tap a chip ("hard day", "life stuff", "forgot to open") and your streak adapts. No harsh resets, no guilt wall. ADHD brains don't need a reminder they failed; they need a path back. Built for Real Life Quick capture, voice input, home-screen widgets, lock-screen Live Activity for active timers. Designed for people who rely on their phone to capture ideas the moment they appear. WHY STARTINY Built by a solo developer with ADHD, for his own brain first. Every feature exists because something else didn't work. Traditional task apps assume perfect consistency. Startiny is built for real-world focus, helping you start, continue, and finish tasks without overwhelm. AVAILABILITY Currently in beta and free to use. A subscription ($6.99/month) is planned after full release. DISCLAIMER Startiny is a productivity tool and not a medical device. It does not provide diagnosis, treatment, or medical advice. For mental health concerns, please consult a qualified professional.

About

Glass Notes

Capture thoughts with visually appealing glass cards that change color based on their background. Organize notes with color tags, checklists, and folders. Protect your private entries with Face ID and access them easily via home screen widgets.

Highlights
  • Visually appealing glass card design
  • Color-coded note organization
  • Interactive checklists
  • Folder-based note grouping
  • Face ID/Passcode protection
  • Home screen widgets
  • Private data storage
Features
Read full description

Write, plan and keep private information on translucent, colorful glass cards. Capture tasks, checklists, photos, scans, drawings and voice notes in one polished workspace for iPhone and iPad. Start free with up to 10 notes. One purchase unlocks unlimited notes, with no subscription, ads, tracking or account. CUSTOMIZE YOUR WORKSPACE Create translucent glass cards and choose any HEX color for notes, folders, text and the app accent. Use bold and italic text with nine text colors. CAPTURE MORE Add photos, scan documents and search for text found inside images. Record voice notes with on-device transcription. Draw by hand with Apple Pencil. ORGANIZE EVERYTHING Create checklists with progress indicators. Group content into folders and tags, then filter tags in one tap. Use calendar view and reminders. Select multiple notes to move, share or delete them together. SEARCH AND SHARE Spotlight searches your notes, while locked notes are never indexed. Share notes as images or PDFs. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT Protect private notes with Face ID or a passcode. Recently Deleted retains removed notes for 30 days. WIDGETS AND iPAD Add Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets for quick access. Use the iPad sidebar layout for efficient navigation. DESIGNED FOR iOS 26 Glass Notes is built for iOS 26 and Apple's Liquid Glass design, bringing a translucent, modern interface to your everyday writing. FREE TO START Keep up to 10 notes for free. One purchase unlocks unlimited notes, forever. No subscription. No ads. No tracking. No account.

Screenshots

Startiny4 screens
Glass Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Startiny at none against Glass Notes's 1. Startiny also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 8 days) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). Glass Notes's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. Glass Notes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Startiny asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Startiny against 5.0 for Glass Notes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Startiny ships an update every 2 days, Glass Notes every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Startiny versus Glass Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStartinyGlass Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews—50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 8 days
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVan Nam NguyenBirkan Aksoy

In-app purchases

None

Startiny

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Glass Notes

One-time1
  • Glass Notes Full Access$4.99

Questions

Is Startiny free?
Startiny is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Glass Notes free?
Glass Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Startiny or Glass Notes?
Startiny and Glass Notes are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Startiny or Glass Notes have ads?
Startiny shows ads; Glass Notes does not.
Which is updated more often, Startiny or Glass Notes?
Startiny ships an update every 2 days, and Glass Notes every 8 days. Most recently, Startiny was updated on October 24, 2026 and Glass Notes on October 25, 2026.

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