# Standard Notes vs Notesnook

Standard Notes and Notesnook both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 78% of Notesnook's written reviews are positive against 63% of Standard Notes's. Notesnook also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). Standard Notes's advantage is ratings volume (3.7K vs 653) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Standard Notes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $119.99 per year and Notesnook sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Standard Notes against 4.7 for Notesnook. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Standard Notes has 3.7K ratings behind it against 653, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Standard Notes's written reviews are positive against 78% of Notesnook's.

Standard Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, Notesnook weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Standard Notes | Notesnook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (3.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/standard-notes/id1285392450/reviews) | [4.7 (653 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notesnook-private-notepad/id1544027013/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.7K** | 653 |
| Positive reviews | 63.4% of reviews | **78.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 92 MB | 89 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Standard Notes Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/586976285) | [Streetwriters LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1536533660) |

## 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


### Notesnook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notesnook-private-notepad/id1544027013)

This open-source app offers secure, encrypted note-taking and organization across all your devices. It features a robust editor, to-do lists, and a private journal with advanced security to protect your personal information.

**Highlights:** Military-grade encryption, Cross-platform synchronization, To-do lists and task management, Private journal with media support, Rich text and Markdown editor, Notebook organization, App lock with fingerprint support

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Notesnook Pro | $0.99 | per month |
| Notesnook Essential Plan | $1.99 | per month |
| Notesnook Pro | $2.49 | per month |
| Notesnook Pro Plan | $2.99 | per month |
| Notesnook Pro | $4.49 | per month |
| Notesnook Pro | $4.49 | per month |
| Notesnook Pro Plan | $6.99 | per month |
| Notesnook Believer Plan | $8.99 | per month |
| Notesnook Pro | $9.99 | per year |
| Notesnook Essential Plan | $19.99 | per year |
| Notesnook Pro | $24.99 | per year |
| Notesnook Pro Plan | $29.90 | per year |
| Notesnook Pro Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Notesnook Pro | $49.99 | per year |
| Notesnook Pro | $49.99 | per year |
| Notesnook Pro Plan | $69.99 | per year |
| Notesnook Believer Plan | $89.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 👍 Clean and intuitive UI
- 👍 Cross-platform compatibility
- 👍 Generous free tier

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sync and login issues
- 🐛 Buggy and crashes
- 💰 Expensive premium tier
- 🔒 Lack of free encryption features

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on launch on older iOS devices
- Sync issues leading to data loss
- Unreliable login and verification process

**Requested features**

- Improved search functionality
- Reminders and calendar integration
- Handwriting and drawing support
- Multilingual support
- Improved table and spreadsheet features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Standard Notes free?

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

### Is Notesnook free?

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

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

Standard Notes and Notesnook are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3.7K and 653 ratings respectively.

### Do Standard Notes or Notesnook have ads?

Neither Standard Notes nor Notesnook shows ads.

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

Standard Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Notesnook weekly. Most recently, Standard Notes was updated on September 22, 2026 and Notesnook on September 21, 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.*