Comparison

Neatbase vs Thoughts!

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

Head to head
About

Neatbase

Organize your life with a personal database that feels like a notes app. Create custom CRMs, inventory trackers, or collection managers with structured fields and multiple views. Your data is private, native, and synced via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Customizable notebooks with structured fields
  • Card and spreadsheet-style table views
  • Offline functionality and iCloud sync
  • 27+ field types including images and formulas
  • Real-time collaboration (Pro)
  • Web form creation (Pro)
  • REST API access (Pro)
Features
Read full description

The personal database that feels like a notes app. Build your own CRM, inventory, contact book, or any other collection in minutes — native, private, and synced with iCloud. Most notes apps give you a blank page. Neatbase gives you structure. Create a notebook, choose its fields, and adding notes becomes as easy as filling out a form. View everything as clean cards or a spreadsheet-style table — sort, filter, and group to see exactly what matters. WHAT WILL YOU BUILD? - A lightweight CRM — leads, deals, follow-ups, activity logs - A home inventory — photos, prices, barcodes - A client directory — tap to call, tap to email - A project plan — statuses, due dates, progress - A content calendar planned around publish dates - An expense log with categories and receipt photos - A library of your books, movies, and recipes — rated and tagged If you can describe it, you can collect it in Neatbase. A FIELD FOR EVERYTHING Choose from 27 field types: text and numbers, currency, dates with reminders, toggles, star ratings, color-coded tags, dropdowns, images, checklists, colors, durations, percent bars, barcodes and QR codes, tap-to-call phone and tap-to-email fields, secrets locked behind Face ID or Touch ID, buttons that open URLs — plus formulas, cross-notebook references, and comment threads with Pro. Change your mind anytime: add, rename, or reorder fields, and every existing note updates instantly. TWO VIEWS, ONE NOTEBOOK Browse and edit in a clean card view, or switch to a full table — resize and reorder columns, edit inline, copy and paste, navigate with the keyboard. Each notebook remembers your view, filters, and sorting. TRULY NATIVE. ACTUALLY FAST. Built in SwiftUI for iPhone, iPad, and Mac — one download covers all three. It launches instantly, works fully offline, and syncs through iCloud. No account to create, no password, no onboarding. Most database apps are websites in a wrapper — Neatbase feels like it shipped with your device. YOUR DATA IS NOBODY'S BUSINESS Your notes live on your device and sync securely through your own iCloud. No tracking, no analytics, no ads. Export everything to CSV anytime — even on the free plan. Your data is always yours. SHARE A NOTEBOOK WITH A LINK (PRO) Send one link and up to 10 people can collaborate in real time — no accounts, no sign-up screens. Shared notebooks are end-to-end encrypted; the server never sees your data. TURN ANY NOTEBOOK INTO A WEB FORM (PRO) Publish a form in a few taps. Anyone with the link can submit from any browser, and responses land in your notebook automatically. Add your logo, pick an accent color, share the link. Perfect for intake forms, signups, surveys, orders, and RSVPs. AUTOMATE WITH THE REST API (PRO) Every notebook can expose its own REST API, with documentation generated from your actual field names. Read and write notes from scripts, shortcuts, and automations. FREE TO USE, FAIR TO UPGRADE Free includes 3 notebooks with 100 notes each, both views, iCloud sync, groups, templates, and CSV export. Neatbase Pro unlocks unlimited notebooks and notes, sharing, web forms, the REST API, and advanced fields — one simple yearly subscription, Family Sharing included. ALSO INCLUDED Notebook templates, Spotlight search, Home Screen widgets, reminders on date fields, nested groups, pinning, keyboard navigation, and custom icons for every notebook. Don't settle for a blank page. Collect and organize anything, your way. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://neatbase.com/privacy

About

Thoughts!

Features
Read full description

Capture ideas as they come, and find them again when you need them. With Thoughts!, quick notes, links, photos, events, and ideas all live in one place. Based on what you save, Thoughts! suggests a title, summary, tags, and a PARA folder. Key features - Quick notes Save thoughts, to-dos, and ideas right away. - Threaded notes Keep adding to an existing Thought and bring related ideas together. - Save links Keep articles, videos, and webpages along with their key points. - Photo notes Save screenshots and reference images together with your notes. - Events and reminders Type appointments or tasks naturally and manage them as calendar events and reminders. - PARA folders Organize notes and references into Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archive. - Tags and search Find what you need using titles, summaries, tags, and folders. You do not need to organize everything before you start. Capture it first, then come back when you need it.

Screenshots

Neatbase4 screens
Thoughts!4 screens

Verdict

The call

Neatbase and Thoughts! 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neatbase sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $34.99 per year and Thoughts! sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Neatbase ships an update every 2 days, Thoughts! every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Neatbase versus Thoughts!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNeatbaseThoughts!
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.426.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSeb FontanSeongjae Kim

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Neatbase

Subscriptions1
  • Neatbase Pro$34.991 Year
2 purchases

Thoughts!

Subscriptions2
  • Thoughts! Pro$1.991 Month
  • Thoughts! Pro$12.991 Year

Questions

Is Neatbase free?
Neatbase is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Thoughts! free?
Thoughts! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Neatbase or Thoughts! have ads?
Neither Neatbase nor Thoughts! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Neatbase or Thoughts!?
Neatbase ships an update every 2 days, and Thoughts! every 3 days. Most recently, Neatbase was updated on October 16, 2026 and Thoughts! on October 9, 2026.

Other comparisons