Comparison

ObsiKO vs Referat

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

Head to head
About

ObsiKO

This app combines note-taking, mind mapping, and file management with AI assistance. It supports handwritten notes, custom planners, and integrates with Obsidian vaults. Features include a focus timer, web sharing via GitHub, and a unique graph visualization.

Highlights
  • AI-assisted note-taking and mind mapping
  • Handwritten notes with real paper textures
  • Focus timer with Lock Screen integration
  • GitHub integration for sharing and syncing
  • Interactive graph visualization of knowledge
  • Support for Obsidian vaults (.md, .canvas)
  • Korean language dictionary and spell checker
Features
Read full description

Tired of converting files or picking plugins? Spent the day on settings and never wrote a line? Plenty of features, none of them talking to each other? Writing, knowledge management, mind maps, reading logs, codices, schedules, file conversion — all in ObsiKO, with no login, payment, subscription or ads. Obsidian vaults (.md·.canvas·.base) open as-is. (AI uses your own API key. With Apple Intelligence on, no key needed.) ■ Notebooks and planners you write by hand · Notebook cards on your mind map, 23 papers — lined, Cornell, manuscript grid. Export as one PDF · Pens, brushes, pencils, crayon and chalk, with sounds recorded on real paper · A dated year planner as one PDF for your note-taking app or printer · Stickers and washi tape on the page of your note. Handwriting turns into text on the device ■ Made for iPhone Duo · Folded: floating glass buttons on the right strip. Unfolded: an iPad-style layout, books in two pages · Half-folded: the app on top, the keyboard below — like a small laptop ■ Built for Korean · The ObsiKO Korean Dictionary and spell checker, from the National Institute of Korean Language's data — no key · 860+ newer words not yet in the official dictionaries, and hanja input · A "Korean word of the day" widget ■ A focus timer on your Lock Screen · A dial like a real pomodoro clock — tap or drag the ticks in 1-minute steps · Start from the widget without opening the app; time left on the Lock Screen, in StandBy and the Dynamic Island ■ Share and sync (GitHub) · "Share to the web" turns a note into one link, stored in your GitHub, not on our servers · Sync devices through your own repository, and share your LLM wiki by subscription link ■ Write once, it connects itself · One "color" property tints tabs, headers, tree icons, .base and codex cards · Type "book" and a search fills in the rest; "project" adds dates to the calendar · Highlight a PDF and quotes collect in a matching note. ■ A graph like the night sky · Links, types, relations and PARA form one constellation — more links, brighter stars ■ Infinite mind-map canvas (.canvas) · Apple Pencil drawing — sketches into mind maps (iOS 27) or AI images. Ask the AI and it builds, sizes and colors the map · Enter and Tab grow cards. 5 styles, 10+ presets, auto-built maps & dungeons ■ .base files and search · Projects, kanban, cards, charts, a library, PARA and a budget. Dataview queries become tables · Search filenames, full text, Korean jamo, meaning and word forms. Find books and papers, or just ask Siri ■ Dashboard, themes and Markdown · 50+ widgets — calendar, habits, stats, D-day, mini games, AI briefing, tarot. 20+ themes, your own fonts · Editing tuned for Korean, a format bar, Mermaid, 20+ charts, inline drawing, embeds ■ Writing helper · 70+ structures across 13 genres (Hero's Journey, Save the Cat and more) · Socratic questions, genre feedback, style polish, your own assistants, on-device translation, read-aloud ■ Schedules · A date in any file lands on the calendar (Obsidian Tasks compatible) — calendar views, widgets, writing reminders ■ Viewers from one line of front matter · Book view (two pages, real page turns), web-novel view (platform presets) · Messenger and visual-novel views — record the screen and it's a short. ■ Clip, convert, export · Web clipper, RSS and a Memo Box for loose thoughts. Import from Apple Notes, Notion, Evernote, Bear, Logseq and Roam · doc, docx, PDF, hwp and hwpx to Markdown, AI OCR and transcription · Slides with Marp. Export to PDF, HWPX, DOCX, EPUB, HTML, ZIP and wikis ■ AI agent · Just add an API key (Claude, Gemini, GPT) — the app works fully without one · Mind maps and tables on your phone, voice input, and a plan card before big changes · Auto memory, LLM wikis, slash commands, a prompt helper, MCP Tell us about bugs anytime. ■ Supported · iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch / Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese (Traditional, Simplified) · Ready for iOS 27 and iPhone Duo

About

Referat

Features
Read full description

Referat records your meetings and lectures, transcribes them, works out who said what, and writes a summary with action items. Pay once. No ads. No subscription, no account and no minute limits – and your audio never leaves your iPhone. RECORD WITH ONE TAP • One big red button. Recording continues when you lock your phone • See the time on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island • Pause, and mark important moments as you go • Import audio from Files, Voice Memos or the Share menu – video too TRANSCRIPTS IN TWELVE LANGUAGES • English, Danish, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Japanese and Korean – Referat detects the language itself, or you pick it in Settings • Speech becomes text right on your phone with Whisper • Referat finds the different speakers – name them with a tap • Tap a word to hear that moment again, and play at 0.5–2× speed • Search one recording or all of them SUMMARY AND ACTION ITEMS • A short summary, the decisions and a checklist of action items with owners – in the meeting's language • Written by Apple Intelligence on your iPhone (iPhone 15 Pro and later with iOS 26) • Copy the summary into an email or Slack with one tap SHARE IT YOUR WAY • Text, Markdown, PDF, subtitles (SRT/VTT) or the audio file YOUR MEETINGS ARE YOURS Everything – audio, transcript and summary – stays on your iPhone. There is no server, no account and no tracking. The speech model is downloaded once, and after that Referat works entirely offline. PAY ONCE. THAT'S IT. Referat costs a small one-time price: every feature and every future update, with no ads and no subscription. The extra app icons and a silly little game are included for everyone. Remember to tell everyone in the meeting that you are recording.

Screenshots

ObsiKO4 screens
Referat4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ObsiKO at Free against Referat's $4.99. ObsiKO also leads on device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

ObsiKO is free to download; Referat costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ObsiKO ships an update every 6 days, Referat every 4 days. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
ObsiKO versus Referat: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterObsiKOReferat
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHyojin KimCommanigy

In-app purchases

None

ObsiKO

No in-app purchases

None

Referat

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ObsiKO free?
ObsiKO is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Referat free?
Referat costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do ObsiKO or Referat have ads?
Neither ObsiKO nor Referat shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ObsiKO or Referat?
ObsiKO ships an update every 6 days, and Referat every 4 days. Most recently, ObsiKO was updated on November 10, 2026 and Referat on November 10, 2026.

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