Comparison

Second Notes vs KnowledgeBase Builder

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

Head to head
About

Second Notes

A text editor for creating notes with live Markdown formatting. Sync notes across your iOS devices and Mac via iCloud. Export notes as text files and import from other applications.

Highlights
  • Live Markdown formatting
  • iCloud sync
  • Cross-device compatibility (iOS/Mac)
  • Export to text file
  • Import from other apps
  • Text search
  • Keyboard shortcuts
Features
Read full description

Second Notes is an text editor for making a note with Live Markdown in your iCloud folder. You can share the note with your iOS devices via Second Notes for Mac. And Live Markdown automatically indents lists and quoted strings, and changes font to bold or italic. ## Features - Typing text with Live Markdown - iCloud and Second Notes for iOS - Exporting a note as a text file to iCloud Drive - Importing a text file from other applications - Text search in whole Notes - Keyboard shortcuts - Autosaving - Dynamic Type

About

KnowledgeBase Builder

Organize and search text documents and web pages with links within a mind map structure. Automatically create mind maps from text, import Wikipedia articles, and export your knowledge base as HTML. Also functions as a flowcharting tool.

Highlights
  • Save text documents and web pages
  • Full-text search
  • Organize with mind maps
  • Automatic mind map creation
  • Wikipedia import
  • Export to HTML
  • Flowcharting tool
Features
Read full description

The infinite mind map for iPhone & iPad: millions of connected ideas in a single file. Traditional mind mapping tools hit their limits at 50 to 100 nodes and force you into a rigid tree. InfoRapid KnowledgeBase Builder is a true knowledge network for personal knowledge management and your digital "second brain": any item can be linked to any other, every connection carries its own label, and your database grows to millions of entries without becoming cluttered. Just like in Google Earth, you always see exactly the area you are interested in – a tap smoothly centers any item. SPECTACULAR 3D VIEW Experience your knowledge in space: the interactive 3D view arranges your network as a sphere, an orrery or a planetarium. Fly from item to item with smooth camera moves, or let presentation mode take you on a guided tour – perfect for talks, teaching and videos. WHITEBOARD, MIND MAP AND KANBAN IN ONE APP Start freely on the whiteboard: ideas, notes and tasks float on an infinite canvas. As your thoughts take shape, arrange them as a mind map with one tap – or as a Kanban or Scrum board for projects and tasks. Drag a card into the next column with your finger or Apple Pencil and its status follows automatically. TIMELINE FOR DATES AND DEADLINES Give every item a start, end, due date, status, priority and owner. The timeline shows your whole project at a glance; drag a bar with a swipe to reschedule, tap it to open the item. EVERY DIAGRAM TYPE, AUTOMATICALLY ARRANGED Connect items by drag and drop using touch or Apple Pencil and label every relationship. A single tap arranges the whole network radially, symmetrically, hierarchically or as a table. Create mind maps, concept maps, flowcharts, org charts, family trees and even mathematical formulas (LaTeX). The app can also draw flowcharts straight from pseudocode. NOTES, RICH TEXT AND ATTACHMENTS Every item holds more than a title: formatted notes with tables, checklists and links to other items. Attach PDFs, Word and Excel files, images or web links directly – with automatic previews. FULL-TEXT SEARCH INSIDE YOUR DOCUMENTS The lightning-fast search finds not only item names but also the text in your notes and attached documents. OPTIMIZED FOR TOUCH & APPLE PENCIL Interact with your knowledge base naturally and fluidly: navigate with pinch-to-zoom, draw and connect thoughts directly with your finger or Apple Pencil. Whether on the go with your iPhone or on the expansive canvas of the iPad Pro, the interface adapts effortlessly to your device. WIKIPEDIA, WIKIDATA AND OBSIDIAN IMPORT Search Wikipedia or Wikidata right inside the app and turn entire articles, including their relationships, into a ready-made mind map. Text analysis automatically extracts the key terms from your own texts. Complete Obsidian vaults can be imported, too. CATEGORIES, TAGS AND FILTERS Group items by color and topic and hide entire branches with a single switch. ALSO INCLUDED • Learn with flashcards: the app turns your mind maps into flashcards and cloze tests for school, university and work. • Undo without worry: up to 200 steps are kept – even after a restart. • Open formats: import and export as JSON, XML, CSV, text document, image or 3D model. • Your data stays with you: every knowledge base is a fast SQLite file (.kdb) stored directly on your device. 100% offline, no account, no cloud lock-in, no tracking. • Seamless sync via iCloud Drive: share and edit the exact same .kdb file across iPhone, iPad, and your Mac or PC.

Screenshots

Second Notes4 screens
KnowledgeBase Builder4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: KnowledgeBase Builder at 91% against Second Notes's 0%. KnowledgeBase Builder also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 months). Second Notes's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $8.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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

Second Notes costs $0.99 and KnowledgeBase Builder $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Second Notes ships an update every 6 months, KnowledgeBase Builder every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Second Notes versus KnowledgeBase Builder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSecond NotesKnowledgeBase Builder
Price$0.99 — better$8.99
Rating—4.7 (24 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews90.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—24 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGoldbug SoftwareIngo Straub

Customer experience

Second Notes

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

KnowledgeBase Builder

All ratings24 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%

In-app purchases

None

Second Notes

No in-app purchases

None

KnowledgeBase Builder

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Second Notes free?
Second Notes costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is KnowledgeBase Builder free?
KnowledgeBase Builder costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Second Notes or KnowledgeBase Builder have ads?
Neither Second Notes nor KnowledgeBase Builder shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Second Notes or KnowledgeBase Builder?
Second Notes ships an update every 6 months, and KnowledgeBase Builder every 2 weeks. Most recently, Second Notes was updated on October 6, 2026 and KnowledgeBase Builder on October 26, 2026.

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