# Standard Notes vs Private Notes.

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Standard Notes at 64% against Private Notes.'s 14%. Standard Notes also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). Private Notes.'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Standard Notes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $119.99 per year. Private Notes. asks for nothing beyond the download.

Standard Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, Private Notes. every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and August 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Standard Notes | Private Notes. |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (3.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/standard-notes/id1285392450/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3.7K** | — |
| Positive reviews | **63.5% of reviews** | 14.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 92 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Standard Notes Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/586976285) | [WALABOK LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/913827467) |

## 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


### Private Notes.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/private-notes/id1539765495)

Securely store your personal thoughts, ideas, and text with a passcode or biometric authentication. This app offers intuitive text editing tools and a straightforward interface for organizing timestamped notes.

**Highlights:** Biometric and passcode security, Intuitive copy/paste/cut, Text formatting (underline, bold, italic), Timestamped notes, Straightforward user interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, 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 Private Notes. free?

Private Notes. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Standard Notes or Private Notes. have ads?

Private Notes. shows ads; Standard Notes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Standard Notes or Private Notes.?

Standard Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Private Notes. every 2 months. Most recently, Standard Notes was updated on September 28, 2026 and Private Notes. on August 22, 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.*