# TheBrain vs Roam Mobile

The clearest difference is rating: TheBrain at 4.8 against Roam Mobile's 2.6. TheBrain also leads on review sentiment (44% vs 26%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). Roam Mobile's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. TheBrain sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month. Roam Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.

TheBrain holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 171 and 170 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of TheBrain's written reviews are positive against 26% of Roam Mobile's.

TheBrain ships an update fortnightly, Roam Mobile every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | TheBrain | Roam Mobile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (171 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thebrain-smart-notes-and-links/id835873357/reviews)** | [2.6 (170 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roam-mobile/id1609277273/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **171** | 170 |
| Positive reviews | **44.3% of reviews** | 25.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 254 MB | 63 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [TheBrain Technologies LP](https://appshunter.io/developer/579909034) | [Roam Research, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1609277275) |

## What reviewers say

### TheBrain

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thebrain-smart-notes-and-links/id835873357)

This app helps you capture, connect, and visualize all your ideas, notes, and files across devices. It acts as a digital memory, showing related items and allowing for dynamic mind mapping and powerful search to help you recall information instantly.

**Highlights:** Award-winning visualization, Networked notes with backlinks, Dynamic mind mapping, Easy idea capture, Cross-device sync, Powerful search, Visual file management

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TheBrain Pro Monthly | $17.99 | per month |
| TheBrain Pro Annual | $189.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Seamless navigation
- 🔒 Secure cloud sync
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 🚀 Powerful features
- 👍 Excellent for knowledge management

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Buggy on iOS 9
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🐛 Limited functionality on mobile
- 🐛 Confusing UI and navigation

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on iOS 9
- Inability to open brains
- Freezing after each action
- Login and account issues
- Sync problems

**Requested features**

- Offline mode
- Improved mobile UI and UX
- Better integration with other apps
- More affordable pricing options
- Enhanced search and filtering


### Roam Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roam-mobile/id1609277273)

Organize your research with a powerful graph database that functions like a document. This tool is designed for long-term research organization, offering a fast mobile experience and encrypted graphs.

**Highlights:** Long-term research organization, Graph database functionality, Encrypted graphs with Face ID, Quick capture feature, Fast mobile experience, Native-like navigation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast mobile experience
- 🔒 Encrypted graphs with Face ID
- 👍 Native-like navigation
- 💡 Useful quick capture feature
- 🚀 Impressive pace of improvements

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Slow load times and app crashes
- 🐛 Lack of offline mode and sync issues
- 👎 Limited functionality compared to desktop
- 👎 Unintuitive and buggy UI/UX
- 🐛 Incompatibility with external keyboards

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent crashes and loading issues
- Inability to edit or access notes
- Sync problems and lost data
- Incompatibility with certain devices

**Requested features**

- Offline mode and better syncing
- Improved keyboard support
- Dark mode and customization options
- Better integration with iOS features
- Ability to handle large graphs


## Frequently asked questions

### Is TheBrain free?

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

### Is Roam Mobile free?

Roam Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, TheBrain or Roam Mobile?

TheBrain is rated higher. TheBrain averages 4.8 out of 5 from 171 ratings, while Roam Mobile averages 2.6 from 170 ratings.

### Do TheBrain or Roam Mobile have ads?

Neither TheBrain nor Roam Mobile shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, TheBrain or Roam Mobile?

TheBrain ships an update fortnightly, and Roam Mobile every 5 weeks. Most recently, TheBrain was updated on November 1, 2026 and Roam Mobile on November 3, 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.*