Comparison

Overlay One vs Phrase Shelf

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

Head to head
About

Overlay One

Features
Read full description

Overlay is an AI assistant with a memory. Capture anything — a note, a task, a link, a half-formed idea — and Overlay's brain organizes it, connects it, and remembers it. Then you can chat with everything you know. Most apps make you file things away and dig them back out. Overlay does the filing for you and brings the right context back the moment you need it. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Capture in one tap — Jot a quick note from anywhere. Overlay's brain decides whether it's a note, a task, or something worth remembering, so you never stop to choose. • Chat that actually knows you — Ask questions and get answers grounded in your own notes, tasks, and saved pages — not a blank-slate chatbot. • Tasks, automatically — Action items are pulled out of what you capture. No separate to-do ritual. • A brain that grows — Overlay builds a living memory from what you save: the people, projects, and topics you care about, and how they connect. • Your best prompts, saved — Keep the prompts you rely on a tap away. ONE BRAIN, EVERYWHERE Overlay works on iPhone, in your browser, and on the web — all synced. Save a page from your laptop and it's waiting in your pocket. Every capture is tagged with where it came from, so nothing gets lost. BUILT ON THE BEST MODELS Overlay runs on leading AI models, including Anthropic's Claude and Google Gemini, choosing the right one for the job. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your knowledge is yours. Everything is secured per-account, and you stay in control of what Overlay remembers. Stop losing your best thinking. Scale your brain.

About

Phrase Shelf

Features
Read full description

Phrase Shelf is a simple app for saving frequently used text and templates, so you can quickly find and copy them whenever you need them. Save email replies, greetings, customer support messages, addresses, and any other text you type again and again. 【Main Features】 ・Save, edit, and delete text templates ・Copy template text with a single tap ・Organize templates with tags ・Search by title, body text, or tags ・Filter using multiple tags ・Change the sort order ・Sync templates across devices with iCloud ・Available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac With iCloud sync, templates created on your iPhone can also be used on your iPad and Mac. Phrase Shelf is designed to keep things simple, so the text you need is always easy to find and ready to copy. The iPhone and iPad versions include banner ads. All app features are available for free, and a one-time “Remove Ads” purchase hides the ads. The Mac version does not display ads. Keep your frequently used text close at hand. Make everyday typing a little easier with Phrase Shelf.

Screenshots

Overlay One3 screens
Phrase Shelf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Overlay One at none against Phrase Shelf's 1. Overlay One also leads on ads (none vs shown). Phrase Shelf's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks) and device support (4 vs 2). On price 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. Phrase Shelf sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Overlay One asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Overlay One ships an update every 3 weeks, Phrase Shelf every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 1 level
Overlay One versus Phrase Shelf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOverlay OnePhrase Shelf
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS18.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer玉苏甫江 艾西热甫hashimoto hiromasa

In-app purchases

None

Overlay One

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Phrase Shelf

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99

Questions

Is Overlay One free?
Overlay One is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Phrase Shelf free?
Phrase Shelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Overlay One or Phrase Shelf have ads?
Phrase Shelf shows ads; Overlay One does not.
Which is updated more often, Overlay One or Phrase Shelf?
Overlay One ships an update every 3 weeks, and Phrase Shelf every 2 days. Most recently, Overlay One was updated on October 28, 2026 and Phrase Shelf on October 29, 2026.

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