Comparison

Second Brain vs Outliner by codediary

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

Head to head
About

Second Brain

Features
Read full description

Second Brain is your offline-first personal knowledge management app. Capture every idea, note, and insight — and never lose a thought again. No ads. No tracking. No account required. Your data stays on your device. FEATURES: • Rich Notes — Write with Markdown support, add images, link notes together • Collections — Organize notes into collections with icons and colors • Tags — Tag anything for instant filtering • Daily Notes — One note per day, automatically created • Goals — Track personal goals with milestones and progress • Book Notes — Capture key takeaways from books you read • Quotes — Save your favorite quotes • Knowledge Graph — See how your ideas connect visually • Bi-directional Links — Link notes and see backlinks automatically • Full-Text Search — Find anything instantly • Favorites & Archive — Star important notes, archive the rest • Quick Capture — Capture thoughts from the home screen widget • Face ID / Touch ID — Lock your app for privacy • iCloud Backup — Optional, off by default • Export — PDF, CSV, Markdown • 15 Languages — English, Turkish, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Russian PRIVACY FIRST: Second Brain collects zero data. No analytics, no tracking SDKs, no servers. Everything lives on your device. PREMIUM (one-time purchase): Unlock unlimited notes, collections, Knowledge Graph, exports, Face ID, and home screen widgets with a single lifetime purchase.

About

Outliner by codediary

Features
Read full description

Think in outlines. Get things done. Outliner by codediary is a fast, flexible outliner for capturing ideas, planning projects, and tracking tasks — all in clean, collapsible hierarchies that sync instantly across your iPhone, iPad and Mac Whether you're writing a plan, building a checklist, or managing a project, it keeps everything structured, searchable, and in sync. OUTLINE ANYTHING • Build unlimited nested outlines with drag-and-drop reordering • Indent, outdent, expand, and collapse branches with a tap or keyboard shortcut • Automatic heading styles (H1–H5) give every level clear visual hierarchy • Multi-select to copy, cut, and paste items and entire subtrees • Handwriting - draw and annotate right inside your outlines TRACK TASKS WITH SMART CHECKLISTS • Tri-state checkboxes: done, not done, or partially complete • Parent items roll up automatically as you complete their children • Check or clear an entire subtree with a long press • Hide completed items to focus on what's left ADD CONTEXT • Attach notes to any item • Add images from your photo library, or camera • Zoom, swipe through, and organize inline image attachments • Highlight items with colors and custom styles FIND IT FAST • Live in-outline search with highlighting and match navigation • Global search across every outline at once • Organize outlines with tags, including nested categories SYNC & SHARE • Automatic iCloud sync — no manual saving, always up to date • Share outlines with others to view or edit together in real time • Shared outlines and their images stay in sync for everyone BACKUP & PRINT • Export a full backup of everything, or a single outline, to a file • Restore with smart deduplication — no duplicates • Print or save as PDF with your indentation, checkboxes, notes, and colors intact BUILT FOR APPLE PLATFORMS • Native on iPhone, iPad, and Mac • Full keyboard support: Return, Tab/Shift-Tab, undo/redo, and more • Mac menu commands for font size, undo, search, and printing • Shake to undo on iPhone BOOST YOUR PRODUCTIVITY • Focus Mode — zoom into a single outline and hide the rest. • Better note editing on iOS — full-screen editor for distraction-free writing MORE THAN ONE WAY TO SEE YOUR WORK • Progress bar showing overall completion Start with a single line. Grow it into anything.

Screenshots

Second Brain4 screens
Outliner by codediary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Outliner by codediary at none against Second Brain's 1. Outliner by codediary also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months). Second Brain's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Second Brain sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Outliner by codediary asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Second Brain ships an update every 3 months, Outliner by codediary every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 3 level
Second Brain versus Outliner by codediary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSecond BrainOutliner by codediary
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSelahattin Bozatjeong kyu lee

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Second Brain

One-time1
  • Second Brain Premium$9.99
None

Outliner by codediary

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Second Brain free?
Second Brain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Outliner by codediary free?
Outliner by codediary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Second Brain or Outliner by codediary have ads?
Neither Second Brain nor Outliner by codediary shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Second Brain or Outliner by codediary?
Second Brain ships an update every 3 months, and Outliner by codediary every 5 days. Most recently, Second Brain was updated on October 1, 2026 and Outliner by codediary on October 10, 2026.

Other comparisons