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Stash: Remember Everything vs ideaShell
Last checked: October 12, 2026
The short version
Both capture quick thoughts from your phone and Apple Watch.
Pick Stash if you want your notes exposed to your own agents over MCP. Pick ideaShell if you want an AI thinking partner across phone, watch and computer, including Android and Windows.
"Apple Notes is still the best notes app. It's also invisible to every agent I use." (@bta_ckr on X)
Side by side
Stash: Remember Everything, by Grafted Software
Capture. Type in the app, use the share sheet, the Home Screen widget or the Shortcuts extension, or dictate on Apple Watch. Notes from the watch are queued and sync later. Offline notes queue on the device and get summarized when you are back online.
AI organization. Zero prompts. Every note comes back with a summary and tags, stored as Markdown.
Agent access. Stash runs an MCP server on the free plan. Search, read, update and delete are free. Creating notes and research use a monthly allowance. Ask (questions across all your notes) needs Stash Pro. Agents can write back.
Export. PDF or Markdown.
Privacy. Encrypted at rest, not end to end. Summaries use Anthropic's Claude through OpenRouter.
Platforms. iPhone and iPad, plus Apple Watch. No Mac, web or Android app yet.
ideaShell
What they say. "Your AI Thinking Partner." "You talk. It does the rest."
Capture. Voice, text and to-dos on your phone, and from Apple Watch, OPPO Watch and more.
AI. Think through ideas with AI and turn them into action. You can "connect more apps and your own MCP servers" so its AI can reach your other tools.
Platforms. iPhone, Android and other phones. Apple Watch, OPPO Watch. Mac, Windows and other computers.
Not verified on their site today, so not compared here: whether outside agents can read or write ideaShell notes, export, encryption, pricing.
When to pick them instead
- You want to talk ideas through with an AI and turn them into plans.
- You use Android, an OPPO watch, or Windows.
- You want your notes on a computer as well as your phone.
FAQ
What is the MCP difference?
ideaShell says its AI can connect to your own MCP servers. Stash is itself an MCP server, so agents like Claude, Cursor or ChatGPT can search, read and write your Stash notes. We could not confirm from ideaShell's site whether outside agents can read ideaShell notes.
Is this the Stash from stash.com or stash.bar?
No. Stash: Remember Everything is a notes app for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch made by Grafted Software.
Can my AI agent read my Stash notes on the free plan?
Yes. Search, read, update and delete over MCP are free. Creating notes and research use a monthly allowance. Ask needs Stash Pro.
Can I export my notes?
Yes, to PDF or Markdown.
