# Pensieve vs SelfNote

The clearest difference is rating: SelfNote at 5.0 against Pensieve's 4.7. Pensieve's advantage is ratings volume (82 vs 5) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, update cadence, 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 SelfNote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

SelfNote holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pensieve has 82 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Pensieve ships an update every 6 weeks, SelfNote monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and June 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pensieve | SelfNote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (82 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pensieve-email-me-notes/id797364106/reviews) | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/selfnote-email-note-to-self/id6447319493/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **82** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 91.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 33 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Window Seat Labs, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/797364109) | [Makai Labs Srl](https://appshunter.io/developer/1680964982) |

## 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 |


### SelfNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/selfnote-email-note-to-self/id6447319493)

Capture ideas, reminders, and links by sending them directly to your email inbox. Supports text, audio, photos, and drawings, with extensions for seamless sharing from other apps. New features include Apple Watch integration and home screen widgets for quick access.

**Highlights:** Send notes via email, Attach text, audio, photos, drawings, Browser extensions for quick sharing, Apple Watch app for wrist capture, Home screen widgets for quick actions, On-device AI for subject lines and categorization, Speech-to-text dictation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly - Unlimited access | $1.99 | per month |
| Unlimited access | $9.99 | per year |
| Pro Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pensieve free?

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

### Is SelfNote free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Pensieve or SelfNote?

SelfNote is rated higher. Pensieve averages 4.7 out of 5 from 82 ratings, while SelfNote averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do Pensieve or SelfNote have ads?

Neither Pensieve nor SelfNote shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pensieve or SelfNote?

Pensieve ships an update every 6 weeks, and SelfNote monthly. Most recently, Pensieve was updated on September 19, 2026 and SelfNote on June 13, 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.*