# Pensieve vs Mail Notes

The clearest difference is rating: Pensieve at 4.7 against Mail Notes's 4.3. Pensieve also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 75%) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pensieve sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Mail Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pensieve holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 82 and 106 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Pensieve's written reviews are positive against 75% of Mail Notes's.

Pensieve ships an update every 6 weeks, Mail Notes every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pensieve | Mail Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (82 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pensieve-email-me-notes/id797364106/reviews)** | [4.3 (106 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mail-notes/id1098293355/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 82 | **106** |
| Positive reviews | **91.2% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 33 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Window Seat Labs, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/797364109) | [Tech Positive](https://appshunter.io/developer/580207852) |

## What reviewers say

### Pensieve

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pensieve-email-me-notes/id797364106)

Easily capture fleeting thoughts, ideas, and to-dos by emailing them to yourself. This app provides quick capture tools like audio recording, photo attachments, and text pasting, ensuring your ideas are saved without interrupting your flow. It prioritizes user privacy with no data mining or ads.

**Highlights:** Audio recording with speech-to-text, Built-in camera for photo attachments, Attachment picker for photos and files, Quick paste for text, links, and images, Email from Apple Watch, Share extension for in-app capture, Customizable email formatting, Offline capture

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Boost Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| All Access Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Boost Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| All Access Yearly | $24.99 | per year |


### Mail Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mail-notes/id1098293355)

Quickly send emails to yourself for reminders and notes. This app streamlines the process to under a second, allowing for easy email address switching, direct sharing from browsers, and even sending notes via an Apple Watch app. It offers features like labeling, history, and subject prefixes for efficient organization.

**Highlights:** Email under 1 second, Share widget for browser links, Apple Watch app for on-the-go emails, Label emails with icons, Sent email history, Optional subject prefix, Paste clipboard contents

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| All Access | $2.99 | per month |
| All Access | $29.99 | per year |
| Unlock Pro Version | $69.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pensieve free?

Pensieve is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Mail Notes free?

Mail Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pensieve or Mail Notes?

Pensieve is rated higher. Pensieve averages 4.7 out of 5 from 82 ratings, while Mail Notes averages 4.3 from 106 ratings.

### Do Pensieve or Mail Notes have ads?

Neither Pensieve nor Mail Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pensieve or Mail Notes?

Pensieve ships an update every 6 weeks, and Mail Notes every 4 months. Most recently, Pensieve was updated on September 19, 2026 and Mail Notes on September 2, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*