Comparison

Split Notes vs Side Notes

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

Head to head
About

Split Notes

A versatile text editor that allows for split-screen viewing in both vertical and horizontal orientations, along with tabbed interfaces. It offers automatic saving, folder management, and advanced search capabilities. Users can also synchronize scrolling between panes and export notes to CSV.

Highlights
  • Split-screen editing (vertical/horizontal)
  • Tabbed interface
  • Synchronized scrolling
  • Automatic saving
  • Folder management
  • Character and regex search
  • Export to CSV
Features
Read full description

This is a simple notepad which can switch between vertical and horizontal screen division, tab use screen. You can synchronize the scrolling of each text view by enabling the magnet button. Notes is saved automatically. Others - Folder management. - Character search, regular expression search. - Undo/Redo - Character count display. - Change font size. - Export to CSV file. - Backup/Restore with iCloud.

About

Side Notes

This app helps you organize thoughts by viewing multiple notes simultaneously. It offers layouts for comparing options, conducting analyses, or structuring complex ideas. Focus on your thinking with a clean, intuitive interface and privacy-focused design.

Highlights
  • Side-by-side note viewing
  • Multiple layout options (Dual, Four, Single)
  • Visual comparison of ideas
  • SWOT analysis and Eisenhower Matrix support
  • Rich text editing
  • Offline functionality
  • Export notes as PDF or text
Features
Read full description

See both sides of every decision at once. Side Notes shows several notes on one screen, so your pros and cons, two options or a SWOT analysis sit side by side instead of hiding in separate lists. Pick a template, start typing, and compare at a glance. Free, with no ads and no account. START FAST WITH TEMPLATES • Pros & Cons: two columns, one clearer answer • Option A vs Option B: compare two choices side by side • SWOT analysis: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in one grid • Eisenhower matrix: sort tasks by urgent and important • Retrospective: went well, to improve, ideas, actions • Blank board: any layout, your own structure THREE LAYOUTS FOR THE WAY YOU THINK • Dual: two notes side by side • Four: a 2x2 grid for matrices and frameworks • Single: one full note when you need room to write Tap any note to edit it full screen, then swipe to move to the next one. MADE FOR REAL DECISIONS Should you take the job offer? Which apartment, which laptop, which city? Put every argument where you can see it. Run a SWOT on a business idea or a career move, plan your week with the Eisenhower matrix, and close a project or a sprint with a retrospective. ON ALL YOUR DEVICES, NO SIGN UP Your boards sync with iCloud across iPhone, iPad and Mac. There is no account to create and nothing to log in to. WRITE, THEN FIND IT AGAIN • Rich text formatting such as bold and italic (iOS 26 and later) • Word count on every note • Search board titles and note content, filter by Today or This week • Swipe to duplicate or delete a board, or long press for more options SHARE YOUR THINKING Export any board as a PDF or share it as text, ready for a meeting, a teammate or your future self. MAKE IT YOURS Light or dark mode and the Ink accent color, with Brick, Forest and Ocean in Side Notes Plus. A calm, paper-like design with serif titles. GREAT ON IPAD AND MAC More room to see every note at once, plus keyboard shortcuts on iPad and Mac (Apple silicon). Fully translated into 34 languages and redesigned for the latest iOS with Liquid Glass. GO FURTHER WITH SIDE NOTES PLUS Everything above stays free. Side Notes Plus is an optional upgrade for when you want more: • Advanced templates: weighted decision matrix, OKR, weekly review, 5 whys • Your own templates: save any board as a template • Lock a board with Face ID or Touch ID • All accent colors: Brick, Forest and Ocean • Markdown export to Notion, Obsidian or any editor Choose a yearly plan with a 1-week free trial, a monthly plan, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Side Notes is free, with no ads and no account. Just a clear space to think things through. Side Notes Plus is an optional auto-renewable subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account; it renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://side-notes.app/en/privacy

Screenshots

Split Notes4 screens
Side Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Split Notes at 4.9 against Side Notes's 3.9. Split Notes also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 57%). Side Notes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, device support and iOS requirement 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. Split Notes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Side Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Split Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 22 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Split Notes's written reviews are positive against 57% of Side Notes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Split Notes ships an update every 4 months, Side Notes every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Split Notes versus Side Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSplit NotesSide Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (11 ratings) — better3.9 (22 ratings)
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews — better57.1% of reviews
Number of ratings1122 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKAZUTERU YOKOIStraw Technologies

Customer experience

Split Notes

All ratings11 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

Side Notes

All ratings22 ratings
Positive68.2%
Neutral9.1%
Negative22.7%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral28.6%
Negative14.3%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Split Notes

One-time1
  • Remove ads$1.99
None

Side Notes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Split Notes free?
Split Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Side Notes free?
Side Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Split Notes or Side Notes?
Split Notes is rated higher. Split Notes averages 4.9 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Side Notes averages 3.9 from 22 ratings.
Do Split Notes or Side Notes have ads?
Split Notes shows ads; Side Notes does not.
Which is updated more often, Split Notes or Side Notes?
Split Notes ships an update every 4 months, and Side Notes every 2 months. Most recently, Split Notes was updated on September 28, 2026 and Side Notes on October 11, 2026.

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