Comparison

Joplin vs Rool

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

Head to head
About

Joplin

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
Read full description

Privacy-first app Capture your thoughts freely and without distractions, tracking, or ads. With Joplin’s end-to-end encryption and open-source code, you can concentrate on your ideas and tasks without worrying about your privacy. Capture multimedia notes Capture multimedia notes effortlessly. In Joplin you can : • create manuscript notes, • transcribe speech to note, • add multimedia: photos, videos, PDFs, and images, • insert documents as attachments, • create math expressions, add tables, write code and insert diagrams, • create to-dos and add reminders. Organise your ideas Organise your notes into notebooks. Connect your notes with tags by subject or priority. Use colours and rich text editor to format your notes with ease. Make task lists, create to-dos and add reminders. Effortlessly find your notes, even within PDFs and images, thanks to the powerful search feature enhanced by Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. Use Joplin to store your bills, lecture notes, photos or receipts. Reliable synchronisation Access your notes from computer, phone or tablet by synchronising with various services including Joplin Cloud, Dropbox and OneDrive. Seamlessly move from one device to another. Offline-first You can access your notes anytime and anywhere, even without Internet. If you’re using Joplin on multiple devices, they will synchronise and update once you regained the connection. Enhance your productivity across devices Extend your note-taking experience by using Joplin on additional devices such as a desktop computer or tablet. Make the most of each device by using its specific features. On the desktop app, use a web clipper extension, wide-range of community plugins and a Markdown editor. Experience flawless handwriting and drawing on your tablet. Join active community Connect with Joplin’s vibrant community on Joplin Forum. It’s a place where users can share ideas, ask questions, exchange information and give feedback. Joplin’s dynamic community also develops powerful plugins, so you can customise your app to suit your needs.

About

Rool

This app provides a private cloud-based AI assistant to help you with tasks, projects, and file management. It allows you to chat with an AI, create and edit files, generate content, and collaborate with others in isolated project environments.

Highlights
  • Private cloud computer
  • AI-powered task completion
  • File upload and management
  • Content generation (text, code, images)
  • Persistent project memory
  • Collaborative work environments
  • Data export
Features
Read full description

Rool gives you a private computer in the cloud that you can talk to. Ask questions, create files, solve problems, and work through projects with an AI that builds on what you’ve already done. Each Rool Machine brings your conversations, files, and memory together. It can run software and carry out tasks with multiple steps, helping you go from an idea to finished work through a familiar chat. WORK WITH YOUR FILES Upload documents, PDFs, images, spreadsheets, and code. Ask Rool to read, edit, organise, or create files for you. Turn notes into a report, work through calculations, or build an interactive HTML page. CREATE AND EXPLORE Draft ideas, generate images, write code, and compare different approaches. Refine the results through conversation and keep what you create alongside the rest of your project. BUILD ON YOUR WORK Rool connects your notes, conversations, files, and decisions through persistent memory. Return to a project with its context still available, and ask your AI to use earlier work when planning what comes next. MAKE ROOM FOR DIFFERENT PROJECTS Use separate Machines for personal projects, work, or shared interests. Each has its own files and memory, helping you keep different parts of your life organised. WORK TOGETHER Invite others into a Machine to collaborate with the same AI, files, and project history. Changes sync in real time, so everyone can work from the same information. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your work is stored in your own isolated Machine, hosted in the EU. Rool has no ads and does not sell your data or share it for third-party AI training. You can export your data whenever you choose. AI INCLUDED Advanced AI is built in. Rool automatically selects models for the task, so you can focus on what you want to do. Start with a free plan that includes AI access, persistent memory, and file storage. Paid plans offer higher usage and storage limits. Terms of Use (EULA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Joplin4 screens
Rool4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Rool at 5.0 against Joplin's 4.1. Rool also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). Joplin's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (476 vs 3). On price, ads, 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. Rool sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Joplin asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Rool holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Joplin has 476 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Joplin ships an update monthly, Rool fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Joplin versus Rool: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJoplinRool
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (476 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings476 — better3
Update frequencyMonthlyFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB13 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperLaurent CozicLightpost One Limited

Customer experience

Joplin

All ratings476 ratings
Positive76.7%
Neutral6.3%
Negative17.0%
Written reviews495 reviews
Positive66.5%
Neutral9.3%
Negative24.2%

Rool

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Joplin

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

6 requests
  • 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
Show 1 more
  • Implement a trash/recycle bin for deleted notes

Rool

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Joplin

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Rool

Subscriptions2
  • Plus$12.991 Month
  • Pro$29.991 Month

Questions

Is Joplin free?
Joplin is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Rool free?
Rool is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Joplin or Rool?
Rool is rated higher. Joplin averages 4.1 out of 5 from 476 ratings, while Rool averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Joplin or Rool have ads?
Neither Joplin nor Rool shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Joplin or Rool?
Joplin ships an update monthly, and Rool fortnightly. Most recently, Joplin was updated on October 17, 2026 and Rool on October 18, 2026.

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