# Joplin vs Notesnook

The clearest difference is rating: Notesnook at 4.7 against Joplin's 4.1. Notesnook also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and review sentiment (78% vs 67%). Joplin's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 20). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notesnook sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Joplin asks for nothing beyond the download.

Notesnook holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 473 and 653 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Joplin's written reviews are positive against 78% of Notesnook's.

Joplin ships an update monthly, Notesnook weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Joplin | Notesnook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (473 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/joplin/id1315599797/reviews) | **[4.7 (653 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notesnook-private-notepad/id1544027013/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 473 | **653** |
| Positive reviews | 66.6% of reviews | **78.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 73 MB | 89 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Laurent Cozic](https://appshunter.io/developer/1315599796) | [Streetwriters LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1536533660) |

## What reviewers say

### Joplin

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/joplin/id1315599797)

A privacy-focused note-taking and to-do application that allows you to capture multimedia notes, organize them with notebooks and tags, and sync across devices. It offers end-to-end encryption and an offline-first approach for secure and accessible information management.

**Highlights:** Capture multimedia notes (speech, photos, videos, PDFs), Organize notes with notebooks and tags, Create to-dos and set reminders, End-to-end encryption for privacy, Cross-device synchronization (Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, OneDrive), Offline-first access, OCR search for text within images and PDFs

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app
- 🔒 End-to-end encryption
- 👍 Excellent cross-platform support
- 👍 Intuitive Markdown support
- 👍 Flexible sync options (Dropbox, OneDrive, WebDAV)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sync issues, especially on iOS
- 🐛 Buggy UI, especially on iOS
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Slow performance at times
- 🐛 Confusing interface, not very intuitive

**Reported bugs**

- Sync issues with WebDAV and Dropbox
- Crashes when creating new notes
- Keyboard issues, text getting obscured
- Rendering problems in dark mode
- Compatibility issues with older iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add web clipper functionality on iOS
- Implement nested notebooks on iOS
- Allow password/biometric protection for notes
- Improve text editing experience on mobile
- Add more font and formatting options


### 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 Joplin free?

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

### Is Notesnook free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Joplin or Notesnook?

Notesnook is rated higher. Joplin averages 4.1 out of 5 from 473 ratings, while Notesnook averages 4.7 from 653 ratings.

### Do Joplin or Notesnook have ads?

Neither Joplin nor Notesnook shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Joplin or Notesnook?

Joplin ships an update monthly, and Notesnook weekly. Most recently, Joplin was updated on September 20, 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.*