Comparison

Pensieve vs DotList

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

Head to head
About

Pensieve

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
Read full description

If you’ve ever emailed yourself, Pensieve is for you. Just capture, send, and remember! Pensieve is the perfect Idea Inbox companion, a Magic Warp Zone for your mind. Ideas, to-dos, and inspiration pop into your head throughout the day, often at the wrong time and in the wrong place. You want to capture those thoughts somehow, but you’ll forget to check your other notes app, texting yourself won’t work, and writing an email is clunky. You need to get these ideas out of your mind and off of your phone now, so you can get back to what you’re doing and stay in the moment with a clear head. You need a powerful, easy-to-use tool that can teleport your thoughts from here and now to the time and place where they belong. You need an idea warp zone. You need Pensieve, the notes app you'll actually use. == Features == Powerful capture tools, deep customization, and lightning-fast email delivery: • Record audio memos and get automatic speech-to-text transcripts. • Built-in camera that attaches photos as soon as you take them. • Attachment picker with quick access to your photo library and files. • Quick paste button for emailing yourself text, links, and images. • Email yourself from your Watch using the Pensieve watch app. • Email yourself from within other apps using Pensieve Share. • Custom rules put you in control over how emails from Pensieve are formatted. • With the power of Pensieve you can send to multiple inboxes with one tap. • Works offline. Capture thoughts without the internet and send them later. == Privacy & Security First == Pensieve is committed to your privacy and security. The app doesn't contain any of the icky practices of big tech or other companies! - NO data mining. - NO advertisements. - NO attention-grabbing tactics. Only respect for you and your time, attention, and data. Learn more at https://privacy.pensieve.io. == Get in Touch == Tweet to @PensieveTweets with questions, feedback, etc. == Terms == By using Pensieve you agree to the Pensieve Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

DotList

This digital checklist app helps you organize all your notes and tasks in one place. Manage work, groceries, and plans with customizable lists, sorting, and sharing options. Keep your life organized with an intuitive interface and helpful features like drag-and-drop and undo.

Highlights
  • All-in-one list management
  • Multi-themed display options
  • Customizable sorting by status or alphabetically
  • Personalized list control (rename, reorder, add, delete)
  • Shareable lists via text or email
  • Drag-and-drop rearranging
  • Pin important tasks
  • Undo function for accidental changes
Features
Read full description

DotList is a simple, fast checklist app for organizing everything you need to remember, from groceries and errands to projects, packing lists, work tasks, and everyday plans. Juggling random scraps of paper and scattered notes? DotList keeps your lists in one clean, easy-to-use place so you can stay organized without overcomplicating things. DotList is free to download and includes up to three lists, reminders for up to three items, Home Screen widgets, core checklist tools, and four free themes. DotList Pro unlocks unlimited lists, unlimited reminders, and every theme with one optional one-time purchase. No subscription. Key Features: • Simple List Management Create and manage lists for work, shopping, travel, routines, appointments, ideas, and anything else you want to keep track of. • Reminders That Fit Your Schedule Set one-time reminders for individual items, or repeat them daily, weekly, monthly, or on a custom schedule. Manage all your upcoming reminders from one place. • Home Screen Widgets Keep a chosen list or your upcoming reminders visible without opening the app. • Themes to Make DotList Yours Choose from four free themes and switch between light and dark appearances. DotList Pro unlocks the complete theme collection, including Firefly and Midnight. • Smart Clipboard Import Copy a checklist from another app, preview it in DotList, and add the items to a new or existing list. • Organize Your Way Rename and reorder lists, drag items into place, pin important tasks, sort alphabetically, or move completed items below everything still to do. • Reset and Reuse Lists Use Reset Dots to mark every item back to to-do, making recurring grocery lists, packing lists, routines, and other checklists easy to use again. • Clean, Shareable Lists Share an easy-to-read copy of your current list by text, email, or any supported sharing option. • Helpful Undo Support Made a change you didn’t mean to? Undo edits, deletions, imports, reordering, sorting, reminder changes, and more. • Private by Design DotList requires no account and does not collect your data. You can also export your DotList data from the Help menu whenever you want a copy. DotList is built for people who want practical organization without clutter. Keep your everyday lists simple, organized, and easy to manage. Download DotList today and bring effortless organization to your fingertips.

Screenshots

Pensieve4 screens
DotList4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: DotList at free against Pensieve's free with in-app purchases. Pensieve's advantage is device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.2). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Pensieve sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and DotList sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Pensieve against 4.8 for DotList. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 82 and 56 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Pensieve's written reviews are positive against 94% of DotList's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Pensieve versus DotList: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPensieveDotList
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (82 ratings)4.8 (56 ratings) — better
Positive reviews91.2% of reviews93.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings82 — better56
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.2
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWindow Seat Labs, LLCDanz L.L.C.

Customer experience

Pensieve

All ratings82 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral3.7%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive91.2%
Neutral2.9%
Negative5.9%

DotList

All ratings56 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral5.4%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive93.8%
Neutral6.3%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Pensieve

Subscriptions4
  • Boost Monthly3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • All Access Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Boost Yearly3 Days trial$9.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • All Access Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
1 purchases

DotList

One-time1
  • DotList Pro$4.99

Questions

Is Pensieve free?
Pensieve is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DotList free?
DotList is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pensieve or DotList?
DotList is rated higher. Pensieve averages 4.7 out of 5 from 82 ratings, while DotList averages 4.8 from 56 ratings.
Do Pensieve or DotList have ads?
Neither Pensieve nor DotList shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pensieve or DotList?
Pensieve ships an update every 6 weeks, and DotList every 6 weeks. Most recently, Pensieve was updated on October 15, 2026 and DotList on September 30, 2026.

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