# TextEdit vs Joplin

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Joplin at 67% against TextEdit's 17%. Joplin also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and rating (4.1 vs 3.7). TextEdit's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Joplin holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 380 and 480 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of TextEdit's written reviews are positive against 67% of Joplin's.

TextEdit ships an update weekly, Joplin monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | TextEdit | Joplin |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.7 (380 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/textedit-text-editor/id1070883678/reviews) | **[4.1 (480 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/joplin/id1315599797/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 380 | **480** |
| Positive reviews | 17.1% of reviews | **66.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 461 MB | 73 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kairoos Solutions SL](https://appshunter.io/developer/978066434) | [Laurent Cozic](https://appshunter.io/developer/1315599796) |

## What reviewers say

### TextEdit

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/textedit-text-editor/id1070883678)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| TextEdit+ Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| TextEdit+ Annual | $14.99 | per year |
| TextEdit+ Full Unlock | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### Joplin

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/joplin/id1315599797)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is TextEdit free?

TextEdit 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 or Joplin?

Joplin is rated higher. TextEdit averages 3.7 out of 5 from 380 ratings, while Joplin averages 4.1 from 480 ratings.

### Do TextEdit or Joplin have ads?

Neither TextEdit nor Joplin shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, TextEdit or Joplin?

TextEdit ships an update weekly, and Joplin monthly. Most recently, TextEdit was updated on November 6, 2026 and Joplin on November 2, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*