Comparison

TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor vs Joplin

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

Head to head
About

TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor

A fast and versatile text editor for mobile devices, offering compatibility with various file formats and editors. It provides a distraction-free writing experience with advanced formatting, organization, and sharing features.

Highlights
  • Supports TXT, RTF, Markdown, TeX, and PDF formats
  • Cross-device and computer syncing via iCloud/Files
  • Distraction-free writing interface
  • Customizable keyboard extension for faster typing
  • Visual rich text formatting and one-tap options
  • Syntax highlighting for Markdown and TeX
  • Instant statistics and counters
Features
Read full description

TextEdit+ gives you the control of a capable word processor without the clutter of a full desktop office suite. Create plain-text and rich-text documents, work with Markdown and LaTeX, improve your writing with AI, and keep your files organized in Files and iCloud Drive. You can also open, edit and sync documents created with macOS TextEdit, Microsoft WordPad, Microsoft Word, and Scrivener RTF files directly on your device. WRITE IN THE FORMAT YOU NEED • Create and edit TXT, RTF, RTFD, Markdown, and LaTeX files • Open your documents directly from Files and iCloud Drive • Organize your work with folders and subfolders • Choose where you want to keep your files WRITE AND EDIT WITH AI • Turn your ideas or prompts into a first draft • Rewrite, improve, or summarize any selected text • Adjust the tone, clarity, grammar, and structure of your writing • Use AI without leaving your document FORMAT YOUR DOCUMENT YOUR WAY • Choose your fonts, styles, colors, highlights, and alignment • Create lists and adjust line, paragraph, and document spacing • Use superscript and subscript • Add images and tables to supported document formats • Stay focused with a clean, distraction-free editor WORK WITH MARKDOWN AND LATEX • Preview your Markdown while you write • Write and compile LaTeX directly on your device • Switch easily between your source and the rendered result EDIT FASTER • Find and replace text throughout your document • Check your word, character, sentence, paragraph, and page counts • See the estimated reading time for your text • Use keyboard shortcuts when you work with a hardware keyboard • Move the cursor and select text more precisely with the extended keyboard EXPORT AND SHARE YOUR WORK • Export your documents to PDF, DOCX, RTF, Markdown, plain text, and PNG • Print, email, or send your files to other apps • Keep your documents in Files or cloud storage and continue working with compatible apps on your other devices Whether you’re writing a quick text file, preparing a formatted document, taking Markdown notes, or working on a LaTeX project, TextEdit+ gives you more control than a notes app without overwhelming you with the complexity of a traditional office suite. Privacy Policy https://www.noteswriter.com/Kairoos_Privacy_Policy.html Terms of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Joplin

A privacy-focused note-taking and to-do application that allows you to capture multimedia notes, organize them with notebooks and tags, and sync across devices. It offers end-to-end encryption and an offline-first approach for secure and accessible information management.

Highlights
  • Capture multimedia notes (speech, photos, videos, PDFs)
  • Organize notes with notebooks and tags
  • Create to-dos and set reminders
  • End-to-end encryption for privacy
  • Cross-device synchronization (Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, OneDrive)
  • Offline-first access
  • OCR search for text within images and PDFs
Features
Read full description

Privacy-first app Capture your thoughts freely and without distractions, tracking, or ads. With Joplin’s end-to-end encryption and open-source code, you can concentrate on your ideas and tasks without worrying about your privacy. Capture multimedia notes Capture multimedia notes effortlessly. In Joplin you can : • create manuscript notes, • transcribe speech to note, • add multimedia: photos, videos, PDFs, and images, • insert documents as attachments, • create math expressions, add tables, write code and insert diagrams, • create to-dos and add reminders. Organise your ideas Organise your notes into notebooks. Connect your notes with tags by subject or priority. Use colours and rich text editor to format your notes with ease. Make task lists, create to-dos and add reminders. Effortlessly find your notes, even within PDFs and images, thanks to the powerful search feature enhanced by Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. Use Joplin to store your bills, lecture notes, photos or receipts. Reliable synchronisation Access your notes from computer, phone or tablet by synchronising with various services including Joplin Cloud, Dropbox and OneDrive. Seamlessly move from one device to another. Offline-first You can access your notes anytime and anywhere, even without Internet. If you’re using Joplin on multiple devices, they will synchronise and update once you regained the connection. Enhance your productivity across devices Extend your note-taking experience by using Joplin on additional devices such as a desktop computer or tablet. Make the most of each device by using its specific features. On the desktop app, use a web clipper extension, wide-range of community plugins and a Markdown editor. Experience flawless handwriting and drawing on your tablet. Join active community Connect with Joplin’s vibrant community on Joplin Forum. It’s a place where users can share ideas, ask questions, exchange information and give feedback. Joplin’s dynamic community also develops powerful plugins, so you can customise your app to suit your needs.

Screenshots

TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor4 screens
Joplin4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Joplin at 66% against TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor's 17%. Joplin also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and rating (4.1 vs 3.7). TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, ratings volume, ads 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

Both are free to download. TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Joplin asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Joplin holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 380 and 479 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor's written reviews are positive against 66% of Joplin's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor ships an update weekly, Joplin monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor versus Joplin: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTextEdit+ Plain Text EditorJoplin
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (380 ratings)4.1 (479 ratings) — better
Positive reviews17.1% of reviews66.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings380479 — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size518 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKairoos Solutions SLLaurent Cozic

Customer experience

TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor

All ratings380 ratings
Positive65.8%
Neutral5.0%
Negative29.2%
Written reviews210 reviews
Positive17.1%
Neutral7.1%
Negative75.7%

Joplin

All ratings476 ratings
Positive76.7%
Neutral6.3%
Negative17.0%
Written reviews495 reviews
Positive66.5%
Neutral9.3%
Negative24.2%

User reviews

TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor

From 380 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📝 Simple and clean text editor
  • 🔗 Integrates well with iCloud
  • 👍 Useful for basic document editing

Room to improve

  • 💰 Requires subscription for full functionality
  • 🔒 Locks users out of previously purchased content
  • 🚫 Prevents access to app without subscription
  • 🤖 Forced AI integration that users don't want

Joplin

From 479 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great app
  • 🔒 End-to-end encryption
  • 👍 Excellent cross-platform support
  • 👍 Intuitive Markdown support
  • 👍 Flexible sync options (Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync issues, especially on iOS
  • 🐛 Buggy UI, especially on iOS
  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🐛 Slow performance at times
  • 🐛 Confusing interface, not very intuitive

Bugs and requests

TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when opening certain file types
  • Formatting issues when copying/pasting text
  • Inconsistent behavior across devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Allow users to choose iCloud directory
  • Offer one-time purchase option instead of subscription
  • Restore previous paid versions without AI

Joplin

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Sync issues with WebDAV and Dropbox
  • Crashes when creating new notes
  • Keyboard issues, text getting obscured
  • Rendering problems in dark mode
  • Compatibility issues with older iOS versions

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add web clipper functionality on iOS
  • Implement nested notebooks on iOS
  • Allow password/biometric protection for notes
  • Improve text editing experience on mobile
  • Add more font and formatting options
Show 1 more
  • Implement a trash/recycle bin for deleted notes

In-app purchases

4 purchases

TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly$1.997 Days
  • TextEdit+ Monthly3 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • TextEdit+ Annual3 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • TextEdit+ Full Unlock$14.99
None

Joplin

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor free?
TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Joplin free?
Joplin is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor or Joplin?
Joplin is rated higher. TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor averages 3.7 out of 5 from 380 ratings, while Joplin averages 4.1 from 479 ratings.
Do TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor or Joplin have ads?
Neither TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor nor Joplin shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor or Joplin?
TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor ships an update weekly, and Joplin monthly. Most recently, TextEdit+ Plain Text Editor was updated on October 25, 2026 and Joplin on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons