Comparison

ObsiKO vs Askive

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

Head to head
About

ObsiKO

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? Everyday writing, LLM wikis, ontologies, Zettelkasten, mindmaps, reading logs, codices, schedules, file conversion — one app, no account or subscription. Obsidian vaults (.md/.canvas/.base) open as-is. (AI runs on your own API key; with Apple Intelligence on, it can run on the device with no key.) ■ You see it first, before anything changes · AI rewrites arrive as a suggestion card — nothing changes until you press Replace · The AI agent works on a copy; only what you pick reaches your notes · Before the first send to an outside AI, it shows what goes where and sends only if you allow ■ Share to the web, sync between devices (GitHub) · "Share to the web" publishes a note at one address — theme, tables and images intact, comments too · The text lives only in your GitHub account, never on our servers; "Stop sharing" takes it down · Sync runs through your own repository and only ever deletes to the trash ■ Write once, it connects itself · A "color" property colors the tab, header, tree icon, .base and codex cards. Define your own types and relations too · Type "book" pops a search that fills the rest; "project" adds start/due to the calendar · Highlight a PDF and quotes collect into a note of the same name, searchable and on the graph · Wiki links, types, relations and PARA form one constellation — more links, brighter star ■ Infinite mindmap canvas (.canvas) · Apple Pencil drawing — turn a sketch into an AI image. Have AI build an editable mindmap, or hand it yours · Auto-build from a note's links, auto-layout, embeds, groups, relations. 5 styles, 10+ presets. Drop a URL or file to add a card ■ .base files and search · Projects, kanban, cards, charts, a library (book/paper search), PARA, a budget that pastes receipts. Dataview queries become tables · Filenames, full text, Korean jamo, semantic search — pin results, bookmark a query, or ask Siri ■ A dashboard and themes you arrange · 50+ widgets plus query and embed boards — calendars, to-dos, habit trackers, stats. 20+ themes, your own fonts ■ Markdown and a writing helper · Calm editing tuned for Korean. Format bar and cheat sheet, Mermaid, 20+ charts, inline drawing, video in a note · 70+ structures across 13 genres (Hero's Journey, Save the Cat, SCQA, character sheets), Socratic questions and style polish · Spell check, dictionaries, device TTS, a saved assistant role, on-device translation ■ Schedules and viewers · A date in any file lands on the calendar (Obsidian Tasks compatible) — year/month/week/day, timeline, widget, reminders · One frontmatter line switches the viewer: book, web novel, messenger, visual novel, codex ■ Clipping and conversion · The article body and photos become a note, not just the URL — share button or RSS · One-click Markdown for doc/docx, PDF, hwp/hwpx — one file or a folder; a read-only panel opens dozens more · Import from Apple Notes, Notion, Evernote, Bear or Logseq — always into a new folder · Highlight PDFs and Markdown to insert or quote. AI OCR and transcription (labelled by speaker) ■ AI agent · Add an API key and go (Claude, Gemini, GPT) — the app is complete without one · Builds mindmaps and .base tables on your phone and reads existing ones. Read-aloud and images in the editor · File creation, automatic memory, LLM wikis, ontology and Zettelkasten design, MCP. Bulk work is desktop-only ■ Export, images, and everything else · Marp properties make a deck. Export to PDF, HWPX, DOCX, EPUB, HTML, ZIP, wiki markup · Dictate on iPhone (on device), Control Center, Lock Screen and Home widgets, Watch quick notes · Ready for iOS 27 — Markdown round-trips with Apple Notes, the new Siri can add to a note, 4×6 widget · Image editing, free image search, colors panel, routines, palette, focus timer, screen lock All of it is free. No account, no payment, a small download.

About

Askive

Features
Read full description

Askive is a private library for everything you save: photos, videos, audio recordings and documents. Add a file and Askive works out what's in it. Then just ask. ASK IN PLAIN LANGUAGE "What did the contractor say about the kitchen deadline?" "Which photo has the Wi-Fi password on the router?" Askive answers in a sentence or two and shows exactly where the answer came from. ANSWERS WITH PROOF Every answer cites its sources. Tap a citation to open the file at the right second of the video or recording, or the right page of the document. UNDERSTOOD AUTOMATICALLY Each item you add gets a clear title, a short summary, tags and key points. Audio and video also get a timestamped transcript you can read and tap to jump around. ONE PLACE FOR YOUR MEDIA • Photos and screenshots • Videos and screen recordings • Voice memos, meetings and lectures • PDFs and other documents PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your library is visible only to your account. No ads and no tracking. Delete any item, or your whole account, from inside the app whenever you want. Sign in with just your email: no password to remember.

Screenshots

ObsiKO4 screens
Askive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: ObsiKO at 4 against Askive's 2. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
ObsiKO versus Askive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterObsiKOAskive
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size75 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHyojin KimSMBDM

In-app purchases

None

ObsiKO

No in-app purchases

None

Askive

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ObsiKO free?
ObsiKO is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Askive free?
Askive is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ObsiKO or Askive have ads?
Neither ObsiKO nor Askive shows ads.

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