Skein Notes vs I Saved This. Why?
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Skein Notes
This app allows users to create and organize notes using plain Markdown files stored locally or in iCloud Drive. It offers powerful search capabilities, real-time editing of Markdown features, and the ability to manage JSON Canvas boards. Notes are kept safe with version history and conflict resolution.
- Plain Markdown file storage
- Direct iCloud Drive integration
- Instant capture field
- Advanced search and tagging
- Full Markdown support
- JSON Canvas board integration
- Note version history
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Skein is a notes app for people who want to keep their own files. Your vault is a folder of plain Markdown on your device or in iCloud Drive. Skein reads and writes those files directly — the same folder you open in Skein for Mac, or in any other editor. Nothing is locked in a database, and there is no service in the middle. Write it down before you lose it The app opens on a capture field. Type the thought and send it; the first line becomes the note's title and Skein files it where you told it to. No dialog, no folder picker, no naming a file before you have written anything. Find it again Search matches titles the moment you start typing and searches inside every note once the index is ready, ranked, with the matching lines and their line numbers — tap one and land on it. The Vault filters by name, by #tag or by folder in one field, and tags are real: tap one anywhere in the app to see everything carrying it. Real Markdown, properly Headings, lists, task lists, tables, footnotes, code blocks, callouts, ==highlights== and [[wikilinks]] — read cleanly and edited as text. A keyboard bar puts the things you actually reach for above the keys, including arrows that move by character and by word, and you can choose which of them appear. Type / for a command, #for a tag it already knows. Canvas Open a JSON Canvas board, move cards, connect them, colour them and write on them. The same file, the same format Obsidian writes, so a board made on the Mac opens here and back again. It keeps your writing safe Skein keeps earlier versions of a note as you edit, so you can go back to what you wrote this morning. When the same note has been changed in two places, Skein keeps both and asks — it never picks a winner quietly. Also Share text from any app straight into your vault. Four themes, including one for reading at night. Dynamic Type throughout, and full VoiceOver support. Skein does not have an account, a subscription for the basics, a server, or telemetry. Your notes never leave your device except through iCloud Drive, which is yours. Skein for Mac is a separate app on the same purchase.
I Saved This. Why?
This app analyzes your saved screenshots to identify the reason you saved them. It helps you turn that information into actionable items like calendar events, reminders, or saved notes. Designed for simplicity, speed, and privacy, it processes data directly on your device.
- Screenshot text analysis
- Calendar event creation
- Reminder creation
- Map integration
- Information saving
- On-device processing
- Privacy focused
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You saved the screenshot for a reason. I Saved This. Why? helps you figure out what that reason was — and what to do next. Choose a screenshot and the app analyzes the text on your device to identify what you may have wanted to remember. Depending on the screenshot, you can: • Add an event to Calendar • Create a reminder • Open a place in Apple Maps • Save useful information for later The app is designed to be simple, fast, and private. Your screenshots are selected by you and processed on your device using Apple technologies such as Vision and on-device Foundation Models when available. No account is required. No ads. No user database. No screenshot uploads to our servers. Apple Intelligence availability depends on your device, language, region, system settings, and model availability. Stop wondering why you saved that screenshot. Turn it into something useful.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: I Saved This. Why? at every 5 days against Skein Notes's every 2 weeks. Skein Notes's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Skein Notes against 5.0 for I Saved This. Why?. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.
Skein Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, I Saved This. Why? every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Skein Notes | I Saved This. Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, Mac — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tomasz Smieja | Hiroyuki Shibata |
Customer experience
Skein Notes
I Saved This. Why?
In-app purchases
Skein Notes
No in-app purchases
I Saved This. Why?
No in-app purchases









