Comparison

Spongee vs Idea Notes

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

Head to head
About

Spongee

Features
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We come across meaningful, inspiring, educational content that inspire a better version of us. These genuinely precious gems should be captured in a way that is easy to revisit them regularly; so that we gradually grow into the better version they've inspired us to be. Spongee is a simple system that makes sure what you save actually stays with you: saving directly to your home screen. SAVE FROM ANYWHERE Reel, post, article, podcast, scripture, thread? Share it to Spongee straight from any app. An insightful reflection? Type it right into Spongee. A great quote on a physical book? Let Spongee scan it and lift the text for you. Bonus: attach a quick note on why it mattered, in your own words. This act of attaching a personal note signals to your brain that this matters. Neuroscience calls it elaborative encoding. REVISIT WITHOUT TRYING No digging through folders. Your saves rotate on your home screen widget every 30 minutes, so they resurface right where you already glance every time you unlock your phone. Repeated exposure over time is how ideas move from "I vaguely remember..." to "I actually know that." It's called the spacing effect (spaced repetition), one of the most reliable findings in memory research. FIND ANYTHING, INSTANTLY Every save lives on your Shelf, sorted and searchable. Filter by Links, Quotes, or see it all in one place. WHAT YOU GET • Share extension: save from Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Safari, Reddit, Spotify. Anywhere. • Scan and save quotes straight from physical books • Your own note attached to every save • Home screen widget that resurfaces saves automatically • A searchable shelf of everything that ever moved you Stop letting the best things you come across slip into the void. Save it, note it, and let Spongee bring it back until it becomes a part of you. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Idea Notes

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"Capture your ideas — don't let them disappear." Tweet-style notes, organized with hierarchical tags, rediscovered at random. Make brainstorming a daily habit with your own personal idea journal. "Idea Notes" is a brain dump app designed to capture every spark, insight, and thought the moment it strikes. Tired of complex note-taking apps where ideas get buried under deep folder structures, or simple memo apps where notes are written and forgotten? "Idea Notes" rescues your ideas from the "write and forget" trap. Organize ideas flexibly with hierarchical tags. Reconnect with past thoughts through random rediscovery. Works fully offline, so you can capture ideas on the go, in bed, or anywhere inspiration strikes. By recording even just one idea a day, brainstorming becomes a natural habit. Features: ・Quick Capture: From launch to input in just 2 taps. Catch every spark and insight before it fades. ・Hierarchical Tag Organization: Organize ideas with nested tags. Add multiple tags to a single idea for multi-angle reflection. ・Random Rediscovery: Our signature feature surfaces forgotten ideas at random. Let your past self help your present self. ・Daily Idea Notification: A local notification delivers one past idea each day, turning reflection into a habit. ・Powerful Full-Text Search: Search across all your notes — find anything in seconds. ・Offline-First: No Wi-Fi needed. Launches instantly, captures instantly, even when you're off-grid. ・Image Attachments: Attach images to ideas to capture visual sparks alongside your thoughts. ・Archive Function: Hide ideas you don't need right now without deleting. Restore them anytime. ・Export Support: Keep your ideas as a personal asset with flexible export options. Start the habit of turning sparks into assets with "Idea Notes." ■ Pro Plan By purchasing the Pro Plan, you can unlock the following features: ※ The Pro Plan is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. 【Pro Plan Features】 ・Ad-free for uninterrupted thinking ・Up to 8 photos per note (vs. 2 in free) ・Unlimited tags (vs. 10 in free) ・Up to 4 nested tag levels (vs. 2 in free) ・Custom priority labels (vs. 4 in free) ・Unlimited daily random rediscoveries (vs. 10 per day in free) ・19 premium themes (vs. 7 in free) ・Export to PDF and text (Pro exclusive) For more information, please refer to the following: 1. Privacy Policy: https://giversthankapp.com/privacy-policy-for-idea-notes-quick-capture-en/ 2. Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/us/terms.html

Screenshots

Spongee4 screens
Idea Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Spongee at none against Idea Notes's shown. Spongee also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.6). On price, update cadence, 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. Spongee sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Idea Notes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spongee ships an update every 2 weeks, Idea Notes every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Spongee versus Idea Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpongeeIdea Notes
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size96 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWen Jian KwokRYOTA SUZUKI

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Spongee

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Yearly$19.991 Year
1 purchases

Idea Notes

One-time1
  • Pro Plan$12.99

Questions

Is Spongee free?
Spongee is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Idea Notes free?
Idea Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Spongee or Idea Notes have ads?
Idea Notes shows ads; Spongee does not.
Which is updated more often, Spongee or Idea Notes?
Spongee ships an update every 2 weeks, and Idea Notes every 3 weeks. Most recently, Spongee was updated on October 24, 2026 and Idea Notes on October 11, 2026.

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