# Standard Notes vs WriteFreely

The clearest difference is price: Standard Notes at Free against WriteFreely's $11.99. Standard Notes also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.1) and ratings volume (3.7K vs 8). WriteFreely's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and chart position (#199 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Standard Notes is free to download; WriteFreely costs $11.99 up front. Standard Notes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $119.99 per year. WriteFreely asks for nothing beyond the download.

Standard Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Standard Notes has 3.7K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Standard Notes's written reviews are positive against 44% of WriteFreely's.

Standard Notes ships an update every 5 weeks, WriteFreely every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and August 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Standard Notes | WriteFreely |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $11.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (3.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/standard-notes/id1285392450/reviews)** | [4.1 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/writefreely/id1531530896/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.7K** | 8 |
| Positive reviews | **63.5% of reviews** | 44.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#199** |
| Size | 92 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Standard Notes Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/586976285) | [Musing Studio LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1000755152) |

## What reviewers say

### Standard Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/standard-notes/id1285392450)

Securely capture and sync your thoughts across all devices with end-to-end encryption. This app offers a simple, lasting place for all your notes, from personal thoughts to sensitive information, with robust privacy features.

**Highlights:** End-to-end encryption, Cross-device syncing, Offline access, Passcode and biometric lock, Tagging system, Open-source code, Optional productivity editors and themes

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Professional Plan | $119.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and reliable sync
- 🔒 Excellent privacy and security
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 📚 Great for organizing notes
- 💻 Cross-platform availability

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 🔑 Frustrating login/authentication issues
- 💰 Expensive premium subscription
- 📱 Limited features in free version
- 🖍️ Lack of formatting options

**Reported bugs**

- Notes disappearing or getting deleted unexpectedly
- Sync issues between devices
- Keyboard and UI bugs on mobile
- Compatibility problems with older iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add support for images and attachments
- Implement a more robust search function
- Introduce a dark mode option
- Allow for better note organization (folders, nested tags)
- Add undo/redo functionality


### WriteFreely

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/writefreely/id1531530896)

**Currently charting:** #199 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

A minimalist blogging app for seamless web publishing. Write in a distraction-free editor and publish to your blog or any compatible writing community. Supports offline drafting and synchronization with your WriteFreely account.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free editor, Offline drafting and editing, Sync posts with WriteFreely account, Publish to multiple blogs, Dark mode option, Open source platform

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Standard Notes free?

Standard Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is WriteFreely free?

WriteFreely costs $11.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Standard Notes or WriteFreely?

Standard Notes is rated higher. Standard Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.7K ratings, while WriteFreely averages 4.1 from 8 ratings.

### Do Standard Notes or WriteFreely have ads?

Neither Standard Notes nor WriteFreely shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Standard Notes or WriteFreely?

Standard Notes ships an update every 5 weeks, and WriteFreely every 2 months. Most recently, Standard Notes was updated on October 1, 2026 and WriteFreely on August 14, 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.*