| Fact |  AgendaDate-based notes where unlocked features stay unlocked |  DEVONthink 4Research database for documents, mail and scans that stays yours |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $34.99 | $99 |
| Licence | Lifetime tierA one-time plan of a subscription app | Paid upgradesMajor versions cost again |
| The catch | The one-time unlock covers today's features plus one year of new ones, not everything after that | Updates stop after a year unless you pay to extend; the version you have keeps working forever |
| Against a subscription | 4 monthsAgainst NotePlan at $99 a year | 10 monthsAgainst Readwise at $120 a year |
| Seats | No Mac count statedThe one-time unlock is a single purchase covering both the macOS and iOS apps on your Apple ID. | 2 Macs |
| Developer account | None needed | None needed |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes |
| Apple Silicon | Native | Native |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| On Setapp | No | No |
| Buy on the App Store | Buy direct |
Both prices read 22 Sep 2026, on the pages these buttons open. Minimum macOS and App Store rating are not established for either app, so those rows are left out.
In their own right
Agenda
Notes organised along a timeline and tied to calendar events, with a premium unlock you keep permanently even if you never pay again.
DEVONthink 4
A full-text-searchable database for PDFs, scans, web archives, email and notes, with OCR and related-document suggestions. One payment, two Macs, and a licence that is never deactivated.