Ideally vs Root
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ideally
Save and organize all your digital content, from links and photos to notes and videos. Easily share and collaborate with friends, and use AI-powered features to automatically summarize and categorize your saved items.
- Save content from any app
- Organize with named shelves
- Collaborate on shelves and notes
- Visual boards for ideas
- AI-powered summarization and auto-filing
- Search by meaning, not just keywords
- Set reminders
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Save everything you meant to remember Ideally is where the things you save — a photo, a link, a screenshot, a video, a stray thought — actually stay findable. Save it once, and Ideally gives it a home and keeps it glowing where you'll see it again. SAVE FROM ANYWHERE Share a photo, video, link, or note straight from any app's share sheet. Or send a post to Ideally by DM on Instagram or Facebook and it lands in your library automatically — no copy-pasting, no app-switching. SHELVES, NOT JUNK DRAWERS Everything you save gets organized onto shelves you name — a trip, a reading list, a home renovation, whatever you're actually collecting. Pin the ones you use most, filter by source or tag, and search across all of it. SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS Invite a friend to a shelf or note as a collaborator or a viewer, and keep track of things together. BOARDS AND REMINDERS Lay notes out visually on a board when a list isn't the right shape for the idea. Set a reminder on anything you don't want to forget to act on. IDEALLY ENHANCED Turn on Enhance and the firefly does the tidying for you: it reads what you saved, writes a real title and summary, and auto-files it onto the right shelf. Ask questions about a single note or a whole shelf in chat — "what was that recipe with the lemon?" — and search by meaning instead of exact words. Ideally Enhanced is an auto-renewing subscription: • Monthly — $4.99/month • Yearly — $44.99/year (save 25%) Includes 200 Enhanced notes and 200 chats a month, with up to 120 minutes of video Enhance. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID account settings. Enhance requires an account and is available for users 18 and older (13–17 with guardian-eligible access where applicable). Your library is yours. Read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service from within the app or on our website.
Root
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A thought worth keeping. A day worth remembering. A plan you want to make real. Root brings notes, a photo diary, boards and everyday plans into your own personal space. GIVE YOUR THOUGHTS A HOME Write quick notes or develop an idea with photos, videos and checklists. Link related notes so the next thought is always close. Keep the notes you return to on a board. MAKE A DIARY THAT LOOKS LIKE YOUR DAY Keep a few words, a favorite photo or an instant-film print. Arrange photos and stickers on the page, then share the whole diary as one image. Return to your memories by day, week or month. COLLECT WHAT YOU LOVE Build boards with photos, notes, stickers and drawings. Turn your own photo subjects into stickers. Add a board inside another board to keep inspiration and projects together. TURN IDEAS INTO EVERYDAY PLANS Keep tasks, repeating schedules and reminders alongside your calendar. Connect a note, photo or board to a plan. Break a goal into smaller steps and keep moving toward it. Apple Calendar integration is optional. ROOT PRO Make more room with unlimited boards, photo diaries beyond the free allowance, Pro sticker packs, extra decorating tools and Home Screen widgets. Pro also includes iCloud sync and app lock. The app shows which features require Pro. YOUR PERSONAL SPACE No Root account required. Your workspace is private, with backup export and restore. Optional diary reminders and morning schedule briefings can be turned off in Settings. Root is free to download with optional monthly and yearly auto-renewable Root Pro subscriptions. Local prices and any eligible trial are shown before purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://root-website-tawny.vercel.app/terms/en/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
Ideally and Root 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
Both are free to download. Ideally sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Root sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ideally | Root |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | Every 3 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 173 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SAMUEL ORLANDO RIOBOLI | Jin Hyundeok |
In-app purchases
Ideally
- Ideally Enhanced Monthly$4.991 Month
- Ideally Enhanced Annual$44.991 Year
Root
- Root Pro7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Root Pro Yearly7 Days trial$22.991 Year









