# Retain Archive vs Notepad

The clearest difference is price: Retain Archive at Free against Notepad's $6.99. Retain Archive also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 92%). Notepad's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Retain Archive is free to download; Notepad costs $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Retain Archive against 5.0 for Notepad. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Retain Archive's written reviews are positive against 92% of Notepad's.

Retain Archive ships an update every 3 months, Notepad every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Retain Archive | Notepad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $6.99 |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retain-archive/id1144161812/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notepad-notes-checklist-pro/id1512948400/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **2** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 91.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 8 MB | 79 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [OpenText](https://appshunter.io/developer/415355796) | [siarhei yatsuk](https://appshunter.io/developer/1511544233) |

## What reviewers say

### Retain Archive

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retain-archive/id1144161812)

Access and manage archived business communications, including emails, social media, and mobile messages. Browse, search, and preview attachments from various platforms for case assessment and eDiscovery.

**Highlights:** Unified archiving of business communications, Access archived email, social media, and mobile data, Browse and search archived messages, Preview message attachments, View social media archives (WhatsApp, WeChat, LinkedIn, etc.)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Notepad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notepad-notes-checklist-pro/id1512948400)

Capture thoughts, pictures, voice notes, and checklists with this powerful yet simple notepad. Securely store logins and passwords, organize with categories, and easily find information with quick search. Includes reminders and backup options.

**Highlights:** Capture thoughts, pictures, and voice records, Create and manage checklists, Secure storage for logins and passwords, Organize notes with categories and colors, Quick search functionality, Backup and restore data, Password protection for app startup

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Retain Archive free?

Retain Archive is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Notepad free?

Notepad costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Retain Archive or Notepad?

Retain Archive and Notepad are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do Retain Archive or Notepad have ads?

Neither Retain Archive nor Notepad shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Retain Archive or Notepad?

Retain Archive ships an update every 3 months, and Notepad every 6 weeks. Most recently, Retain Archive was updated on October 18, 2026 and Notepad on October 24, 2026.

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