Vellum vs OpenLater
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Vellum
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Vellum is a time-gift app where you send audio and video capsules to the future. Record today, open years later. To yourself, or to those you love. CAPSULES FOR THE FUTURE In Vellum, every capsule is a sealed envelope. You set the opening date: a year, ten years, twenty-five years from now. Until the date you choose, the capsule stays closed even you cannot listen to it. The seal cannot be broken before its time, because the essence of Vellum lies in the waiting of the word you sent to the future, and in its remembrance when the moment arrives. SEND A GIFT TO YOUR LOVED ONES You can send Vellum capsules to someone else too. A message for their birthday, a congratulation for their graduation, a word for your child's eighteenth. Even if the other person doesn't use Vellum, they reach the capsule through a link and add it to their own iCloud account. That capsule is now theirs even if you delete Vellum. YOUR CAPSULES, YOUR iCloud Vellum has no server. All your capsules are kept in your Apple iCloud account, encrypted end to end. We can never access their contents. When you send a gift, the capsule reaches the recipient directly through iCloud there is no server between us. BUILT TO LAST We built Vellum on Apple's infrastructure because we want it to still be working ten years from now. Companies close, servers shut down, apps disappear. Your iCloud account, though, stays yours. Vellum is just an interface that uses that trust. WHAT YOU CAN DO - Record an audio capsule (in your own voice, in your own words) - Film a video capsule - Choose the opening date: 1 month, 1 year, 25 years from now - Add a personal note - Send to yourself or to someone close - Track the status of the capsules you've sent WHO USES VELLUM - Those who leave a message through time for their loved ones on birthdays - Parents who record their child's growth day by day and prepare capsules to be opened at certain ages - Those who want to give themselves a word on anniversaries, on new beginnings - Those who do not want to lose their memories Vellum was made for thinking about permanence. It is not a fast tool it is a slow ritual.
OpenLater
Compose messages and attach memories to be delivered at a future date. This app allows you to create time-locked content for yourself or others, serving as a unique way to preserve thoughts and moments.
- Write future letters
- Time-locked access
- Add photos and memories
- Private and secure
- Send to yourself or others
- Emotional time capsules
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OpenLater lets you send messages into the future — for yourself or someone who matters. Write your thoughts today and unlock them at the perfect moment. A letter to your future self, a birthday surprise, a love note, a dream, or a memory worth keeping — OpenLater turns time into part of the experience. Features • Write letters for the future Send messages that unlock months or years later. • Time-locked access Letters stay sealed until their chosen date. • Add photos and memories Keep moments alive with words and images. • Private and secure Your letters remain protected until it's time. • For yourself or someone special Future messages, surprises, goals, and more. Perfect for • Future self letters • Birthday surprises • Long-distance relationships • Goals and motivation • Memory keeping • Emotional time capsules Some words are meant for another time. Write now. Unlock later.
Screenshots
Verdict
Vellum and OpenLater are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Vellum sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and OpenLater sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Vellum ships an update every 2 weeks, OpenLater fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | Vellum | OpenLater |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | mustafa yazgulu | 惟 陈 |
In-app purchases
Vellum
- Text Capsule Forever Single$0.99
- Text Capsule Forever 3 Pack$1.99
- Video • 1m • 1y ×3$12.99
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- Video • 3m • 1y ×3$26.99
- Video • 1m • 5y ×3$26.99
- Video • 1m • 10y ×3$44.99
- Video • 3m • 5y ×3$47.99
- Video • 3m • 10y ×3$79.99
- Video • 10m • 5y ×3$94.99
- Video • 10m • 10y ×3$149.99
OpenLater
- 1 stamp$0.99
- 3 stamp$2.49
- 5 stamp$3.99
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- 10 stamps$6.99
- Lifetime$29.99









