Comparison

Lectern vs SessionStack

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

Head to head
About

Lectern

Features
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Every word, kept. Lectern records your meetings, lectures, interviews and voice memos, transcribes them on your device, and turns them into clean notes you can actually use — with a full-text archive of everything you have ever recorded. ON-DEVICE WHISPER TRANSCRIPTION Lectern runs Whisper directly on your device's Neural Engine for accurate transcription of natural, real-world speech — no server, no upload, no per-minute fees. Prefer zero setup? Apple's on-device speech recognition works instantly with no download at all. Switch engines any time. RECORD WITH CONFIDENCE A live transcript scrolls as you speak, with a level meter and word count so you always know capture is working. AirPods disconnecting mid-meeting, phone calls, Siri interruptions — Lectern re-taps the new microphone and keeps writing the same file. Even a force-quit or crash is survivable: the recording is detected on next launch and recovered, transcribed and archived. FROM RAW SPEECH TO REAL NOTES The notes pipeline runs entirely offline and is fully deterministic: filler words and stutters are cleaned up, punctuation is repaired, paragraphs are restored, and every session gets a TL;DR, summary bullets and keyword tags. Action items are extracted with owners and due dates, in English and German. AN ARCHIVE YOU CAN SEARCH Every session lands in a full-text searchable archive — transcripts, titles, notes and action items. Search for a phrase, jump straight to the matching segment, and play the audio from that exact moment. IMPORT AND EXPORT EVERYTHING Transcribe existing audio and video files. Export to Markdown, PDF, plain text, SRT, VTT or HTML. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Audio and transcripts never leave your device. The only network use is the one-time, optional Whisper model download. No account, no analytics, no tracking. FREE TO TRY, PRO WHEN YOU NEED IT The free tier includes three recordings of up to ten minutes each with the complete pipeline. Eligible new subscribers can try Lectern Pro free for 7 days. Pro unlocks unlimited recordings and archive with monthly or yearly billing across iPhone, iPad and Mac. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in App Store subscription settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.lukekevinmclaughlin.com/privacy

About

SessionStack

Effortlessly plan your conference schedule in Las Vegas. This app helps you browse thousands of sessions, uses AI to filter options based on your preferences, and suggests optimal itineraries to avoid conflicts and travel time.

Highlights
  • Browse 2,200+ conference sessions
  • AI-powered filtering and suggestions
  • Optimized itinerary planning
  • Avoid scheduling conflicts
  • Venue and travel time considerations
Features
Read full description

Plan your conference week in Las Vegas without the spreadsheet chaos. SessionStack is a session planner for attendees of AWS re:Invent 2026. Browse 2,200+ sessions across six venues on the Strip. Ask in one sentence and the AI turns it into filters you can see. Leave an afternoon open and it suggests sessions that are worth your time and that you can actually reach. And it will never book you two talks twenty minutes apart at opposite ends of the Strip. SessionStack is an independent app made by attendees, for attendees. It is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. AWS and re:Invent are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Screenshots

Lectern3 screens
SessionStack4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SessionStack at none against Lectern's 2. SessionStack also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly). Lectern's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads 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. Lectern sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. SessionStack asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lectern ships an update monthly, SessionStack every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Lectern versus SessionStack: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLecternSessionStack
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB81 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLuke MclaughlinJoannes van Eijk

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Lectern

Subscriptions2
  • Lectern Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Lectern Pro Yearly$79.991 Year
None

SessionStack

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lectern free?
Lectern is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SessionStack free?
SessionStack is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Lectern or SessionStack have ads?
Neither Lectern nor SessionStack shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lectern or SessionStack?
Lectern ships an update monthly, and SessionStack every 4 days. Most recently, Lectern was updated on October 31, 2026 and SessionStack on October 31, 2026.

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