Comparison

ThinkAloud Notes vs CalibratedNotes

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

Head to head
About

ThinkAloud Notes

Record your thoughts and let on-device AI transform them into structured notes with titles, tags, and links. Your data stays private on your phone, with no accounts or subscriptions required. Access and manage your notes as standard Markdown files.

Highlights
  • Voice, photo, and text input
  • On-device AI note generation
  • Automatic tagging and linking
  • Ask questions about your notes
  • Knowledge graph creation
  • Markdown file export
  • Optional cloud sync
Features
Read full description

You think out loud. ThinkAloud writes it down. Hit record and just talk: a passing idea, a meeting, a whole lecture. When you stop, you can play the recording back and decide whether it's worth keeping before anything happens to it. Only then does the on-device AI turn it into a real note, with a title, some structure, tags, and links to the related notes you already have. Here's the part that matters. All of this happens on your phone. ThinkAloud runs Google's Gemma model locally, so your voice and your notes never get uploaded anywhere. There's no account to create, no server in the middle, and nothing to pay every month. You download the model once, and after that it works offline. Your notes are just Markdown files in an ordinary folder, the same format Obsidian uses. Point ThinkAloud at a vault you already have, or let it keep one for you. Either way you can open, edit, or back them up with any app you like. Nothing is trapped inside. What it's good at: - Voice, photos, or quick text go in; clean, tagged notes come out - Ask your notes a question in plain language and get an answer with its sources listed, so you can tap straight through to where each fact came from - A knowledge graph that builds itself as your notes start linking up - Full-text search, tags, folders, and checklists - Optional sync to your own Google Drive or iCloud. Your account, a private folder, no servers of mine in between. No ads, no analytics, no tracking, no accounts. I made ThinkAloud because I wanted a notebook that was actually mine. That's the whole idea. The on-device model needs around 3 GB of free space and a fairly recent device.

About

CalibratedNotes

Features
Read full description

CalibratedNotes Capture ideas, solve problems, and organize everything in one powerful digital notebook. CalibratedNotes combines the freedom of handwriting with intuitive organization to help you take better notes. Whether you're recording lecture notes, solving mathematical equations, sketching engineering concepts, or planning projects, CalibratedNotes provides a clean, distraction-free workspace designed to keep you focused. Create notebooks for school, work, or personal use, customize your pages, and keep everything organized exactly the way you want. Write Naturally Enjoy a responsive handwriting experience with adjustable pen sizes, multiple ink colors, a highlighter, and an eraser. Every tool is designed to make writing feel comfortable, whether you're taking quick notes or filling pages with detailed calculations and sketches. Stay Organized Create unlimited notebooks, organize them into folders, customize notebook colors, and quickly switch between subjects or projects. As your collection grows, finding your notes remains simple and efficient. Custom Page Templates Choose the page layout that fits your work. Select from blank, lined, dotted, graph, and grid paper for everything from lecture notes to engineering drawings, mathematical calculations, bullet journals, and project planning. Handwriting & Text Combine handwritten notes with movable text boxes to create organized, professional-looking pages. Easily add mathematical and scientific symbols whenever you need them. Draw and Sketch Create engineering diagrams, graphs, charts, flowcharts, geometric figures, scientific illustrations, and technical sketches directly within your notebooks. Keep drawings and written notes together for a more organized workflow. Built for STEM CalibratedNotes makes it easy to organize engineering calculations, mathematical equations, scientific notes, laboratory observations, and technical diagrams in one place. Perfect for documenting complex ideas while keeping everything neat and easy to review. Flexible Pages Add, duplicate, and delete pages whenever you need. Whether you're writing a single page or an entire semester's worth of notes, your notebooks grow with your ideas. Customize Your Workspace Personalize notebook colors, organize folders your way, and choose page templates that match your workflow. CalibratedNotes adapts to your style instead of forcing you into a fixed layout. Features Writing Smooth handwriting Adjustable pen sizes Multiple pen colors Highlighter tool Eraser tool Organization Unlimited notebooks Unlimited pages Folder organization Custom notebook colors Fast notebook navigation Page Templates Blank paper Lined paper Dotted paper Graph paper Grid paper Productivity Movable text boxes Mathematical symbols Scientific symbols Duplicate pages Delete pages Drawing Engineering diagrams Graphs and charts Flowcharts Technical sketches Scientific illustrations Geometric drawings Whether you're taking notes in class, solving equations, sketching ideas, planning projects, or organizing your daily tasks, CalibratedNotes provides a flexible workspace designed to help you write naturally and keep everything in one place. Download CalibratedNotes today and experience a smarter way to write, organize, and create. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

ThinkAloud Notes4 screens
CalibratedNotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ThinkAloud Notes at none against CalibratedNotes's 1. CalibratedNotes's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. CalibratedNotes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. ThinkAloud Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ThinkAloud Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, CalibratedNotes every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
ThinkAloud Notes versus CalibratedNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThinkAloud NotesCalibratedNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size116 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGhanashyam Vinod TattiAIDEN JASON SEXTON

In-app purchases

None

ThinkAloud Notes

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

CalibratedNotes

Subscriptions1
  • CalibratedNotes Premium7 Days trial$2.991 Month

Questions

Is ThinkAloud Notes free?
ThinkAloud Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CalibratedNotes free?
CalibratedNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ThinkAloud Notes or CalibratedNotes have ads?
Neither ThinkAloud Notes nor CalibratedNotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ThinkAloud Notes or CalibratedNotes?
ThinkAloud Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and CalibratedNotes every 2 days. Most recently, ThinkAloud Notes was updated on October 7, 2026 and CalibratedNotes on October 16, 2026.

Other comparisons