· By Rosen
Wispr Flow takes the top spot, and ChatGPT joins the Top 5 for the first time.
Written with AI from this week's ranking data. The order, ratings, prices and percentages on the cards come straight from the data, not from the text. How we rank
This list is not our opinion. It comes from what people rate in Apple's App Store and what they say about each tool on Hacker News. Since the last list we count App Store ratings from a dozen countries, and we also look at each app's newest written reviews, so recent experiences weigh in. That change, plus a fresh round of comments, reshuffled the list: Wispr Flow climbs to first, ChatGPT enters, and Perplexity drops out of the overall five. Below is what each tool does, what its users complain about most, and who it suits. The ratings, prices and opinion counts on each card come straight from the data.
Voice dictation app that turns your speech into polished text in any app on desktop and mobile.
4.8★ from 33.7K App Store ratings · 4.7★ in the 451 newest reviews · 50% positive of 14 Hacker News opinions (7+ / 7−)
Users complain about: pricing, quality, accuracy
Not in the score: 7.3K Wikipedia reads in 30 days
From the official site, checked 2026-10-24 · pricing
Wispr Flow is a dictation app: you speak, and it turns your words into polished text in whatever app you are typing in, on desktop and mobile. It moves to first place on very high App Store ratings, and its newest written reviews are almost as warm as its all-time stars. Hacker News is split down the middle, with complaints about pricing, quality and transcription accuracy.
Who it suits: People who write a lot of messages, emails or notes and think faster than they type.
Google research notebook that answers questions, summarises and makes audio overviews from sources you upload.
4.8★ from 184.9K App Store ratings · 4.2★ in the 438 newest reviews · 90% positive of 10 Hacker News opinions (9+ / 1−)
Users complain about: quality
Not in the score: 12.8K Wikipedia reads in 30 days
From the official site, checked 2026-10-24 · pricing
NotebookLM is Google's research notebook, now also called Gemini Notebook. You upload your own sources, and it answers questions about them, writes summaries and can turn them into an audio overview. It has the most positive Hacker News opinions in the Top 5, and the one recurring complaint is about the quality of some answers.
Who it suits: Students, researchers and anyone who works from a pile of documents and wants answers tied to those documents rather than to the open web.
AI chat assistant for writing, research, image creation, voice chats and coding help.
4.8★ from 30.2M App Store ratings · 4.2★ in the 600 newest reviews · 47% positive of 17 Hacker News opinions (8+ / 9−)
Users complain about: usage limits, quality, pricing
Not in the score: 2.5M Wikipedia reads in 30 days
From the official site, checked 2026-10-24 · pricing
ChatGPT is OpenAI's chat assistant for writing, research, image creation, voice chats and coding help. It has by far the most App Store ratings of the five, and they are excellent. Hacker News is more critical: opinions are slightly more negative than positive, mostly about usage limits, followed by answer quality and pricing.
Who it suits: Anyone who wants one general assistant for everyday questions, writing and quick help, and who can live with the limits of their plan.
AI voice platform for text-to-speech, voice cloning, dubbing, sound effects, music and voice agents.
4.8★ from 53.4K App Store ratings · 3.7★ in the 220 newest reviews · 60% positive of 15 Hacker News opinions (9+ / 6−)
Users complain about: pricing, quality, censorship
Not in the score: 33.4K Wikipedia reads in 30 days
From the official site, checked 2026-10-24 · pricing
ElevenLabs turns text into natural-sounding speech and also does voice cloning, dubbing, sound effects, music and voice agents. Its all-time App Store ratings are very high, but its newest written reviews are the least warm of the five. Hacker News leans positive, with complaints about pricing, output quality and content restrictions.
Who it suits: Creators, podcasters and teams who need realistic voiceovers or dubbing, and developers building voice into their own products.
Online design tool with templates and AI features for social posts, presentations, videos and print.
4.9★ from 11.9M App Store ratings · 4.3★ in the 600 newest reviews · 50% positive of 6 Hacker News opinions (3+ / 3−)
Users complain about: api support, quality, support
Not in the score: 94.5K Wikipedia reads in 30 days
From the official site, checked 2026-10-24 · pricing
Canva is an online design tool with templates and AI features for social posts, presentations, videos and print. Its all-time App Store stars are the highest of the five, from a huge number of ratings. Hacker News opinion is evenly split, with complaints about developer and API support, output quality and customer support.
Who it suits: Small businesses, marketers and non-designers who need good-looking visuals quickly without learning professional design software.
The order is recalculated every week from new ratings and new comments, so tools can move up or drop out. Perplexity still ranks high among research tools, and the five best in every category, including a newcomer for meeting notes, are on the home page.