Benchpad vs Candle

Benchpad is a scratchpad, not a second brain. Three pads. You name them — Work / Personal / Scratch, Today / This Week / Someday, whatever fits your head. No folders, no tags, no filing decisions. Open, type, close. WRITE WITHOUT DECIDING Every note app asks "where does this go?" before you've written a word. Benchpad doesn't. Three pads means the decision is already made. WORKS ON A PLANE Offline-first, not offline-tolerant. Every keystroke saves to your device before any network request. Sync happens in the background when you're online — and merges conflict-free if you edited on two devices at once. CONSTRAINT IS THE PRODUCT Benchpad is for people who want to write things down — not maintain a system. A note app that knows when to stop. When you can't create infinite folders, you write instead of organizing. Constraint isn't a compromise. It's the product. A REAL EDITOR Headings, checklists, tables, code blocks with syntax highlighting, images, file attachments all with slash commands and a block editor. NO AI. NO ADS. NO DATA MINING. Nothing reads, summarizes, or trains on your notes. Notes are encrypted at rest. Plain markdown — copy everything out anytime, no lock-in. FREE FOREVER, REALLY One pad, the full editor, offline support, sync, and an archive of 100 notes — free, no credit card, no time limit. Pro ($10/year flat) unlocks all three pads, all six themes, attachments, voice-note audio, and Markdown/PDF export. Benchpad is for people who want to write things down — not maintain a system. A note app that knows when to stop.

Candle is a free iPhone app that quietly remembers the birthdays that matter, then gently taps you on the shoulder in time to do something about them. No accounts, no ads, and no guilt. Most birthday apps are really just to-do lists wearing a party hat: a wall of 100 names and a nagging red badge that turns a happy occasion into homework. Candle acts as an external memory that holds every detail and stays silent until the moment it's useful. Send a gift that will arrive in time or get a reminder to send that "happy birthday" text. How It Stays Calm A Breathable Home Screen: See birthdays for today, this week, next week, and later this month. A birthday six months away stays tucked away until it's actually close. When nothing is coming up, Candle simply says "Nothing needs you right now." One Tap to Start Full: Candle pulls in every birthday already saved in your contacts. It only pulls contacts with birthdays, so your favorite pizza place stays out of it. Two Gentle Nudges: You receive one heads-up a week before (enough time for a gift or card to arrive) and one on the day, with a one-tap "send a text" button. There is no red anywhere, and no badges. Sparks: See a perfect gift in a shop window? Capture it in five seconds as a photo, link, note, or voice memo, without deciding who it's for right away. The Gift Vault: Keep track of what you gave last year, and fold your saved ideas neatly away until you need them. Private by Design, Free by Choice There is no account and no sign-up. Everything lives in your own iCloud, syncing privately across your devices. Nothing is uploaded, sold, or tracked, and the app stays completely free.