Comparison

NoLen vs OwlCal

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

Head to head
About

NoLen

Features
Read full description

NoLen is a notes app that turns natural-language writing into schedule candidates you can review and organize. Write as you normally do. NoLen finds dates, times, durations, and recurring plans in your text and presents them as candidates. Check the title, date, time, and type, then add the items you choose to NoLen's calendar. Organize work and personal notes with categories, tags, search, internal links, and subnotes. Select text to create a subnote while keeping its connection to the original note. Attach files and protect notes with device authentication where supported. View notes and schedules together in the calendar view. On Mac, see your notes and calendar in one workspace. Your original content remains plain text, while parsed schedule information is stored separately. Data is stored locally first. When iCloud sync is available in the build and enabled by you, NoLen uses Apple CloudKit. Notifications follow your device permissions. NoLen does not automatically confirm or add schedules. Review each candidate and choose what to add.

About

OwlCal

This app centralizes family schedules with color-coded calendars for each member. It allows for shared shopping and to-do lists, meal planning, and integration with existing calendars. It also supports creating profiles for children without requiring individual accounts.

Highlights
  • Color-coded family calendars
  • Shared shopping and to-do lists
  • Integrated meal planner
  • Child profiles without accounts
  • Subscription to external calendars
  • Event reminders with attendee details
Features
Read full description

OwlCal keeps your whole family on one calendar, color-coded so a glance tells you whose day it is. EVERYONE, ONE CALENDAR Give each person a color. See the family in Month, Week, Day, and List views, and tap a name to filter to just them. KIDS WITHOUT ACCOUNTS Add children as profiles with no email or password. On a shared device you switch into their profile like a streaming app, and everything they add is theirs. SHOPPING & TO-DO LISTS A list per store. Assign a whole list or a single item to someone. Check things off and see who did it and when. MEAL PLANNER Breakfast, lunch, and dinner on one weekly board, per person. SUBSCRIBE TO YOUR CALENDARS Fold in your Google, Outlook, or Apple calendars. Put each on the right person's color and choose who sees it. REMINDERS THAT SAY WHO A push before events with the time, the person, and a tappable address. Start with a 30-day free trial. After that, OwlCal is $9.99 per year for up to 6 family members. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS OwlCal Yearly: $9.99 per year (1-year auto-renewing subscription) after a 30-day free trial. Payment is charged to your App Store account; the subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel in Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://owlcal.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

NoLen4 screens
OwlCal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NoLen at none against OwlCal's 1. NoLen also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 days). OwlCal's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads and device support 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. OwlCal sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. NoLen asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NoLen ships an update every 2 days, OwlCal every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
NoLen versus OwlCal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNoLenOwlCal
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—9 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRYO KOJIMASignOut

In-app purchases

None

NoLen

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

OwlCal

Subscriptions1
  • OwlCal Yearly$9.991 Year

Questions

Is NoLen free?
NoLen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is OwlCal free?
OwlCal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do NoLen or OwlCal have ads?
Neither NoLen nor OwlCal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NoLen or OwlCal?
NoLen ships an update every 2 days, and OwlCal every 4 days. Most recently, NoLen was updated on October 24, 2026 and OwlCal on October 24, 2026.

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