Comparison

FSNotes vs Notesnook

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

Head to head
About

FSNotes

A fast, modern notes manager for macOS and iOS that uses plain text Markdown files. It's designed for speed and keyboard shortcuts, allowing for seamless iCloud syncing and support for images, code blocks, and math.

Highlights
  • Plain text Markdown notes
  • Fast launch and operation
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • iCloud syncing
  • Markdown preview
  • Image and code block support
Currently charting
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FSNotes is a fast, modern notes manager for macOS and iOS. Write and organize your notes in pure Markdown with full control over your files. All notes are stored as plain text on disk, so your data stays open, portable, and future-proof. FSNotes is built for speed. It launches instantly, stays lightweight, and works smoothly even with tens of thousands of notes. Designed for keyboard lovers, it lets you capture ideas and find information in seconds using powerful shortcuts. Sync seamlessly via iCloud Drive, preview Markdown, work with images, code blocks, diagrams, and math — all in a clean, distraction-free interface. Fast. Open. Keyboard-driven.

About

Notesnook

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
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Your notes are yours. Notesnook encrypts every one of them on your device before it ever reaches the cloud — so no one can read them. Not advertisers, not us. UNLIMITED NOTES. EVERY DEVICE. FREE. Most note apps cap the free plan until it hurts. Others stop after a few dozen notes. Notesnook never limits how much you write or how many devices you sync. A REAL EDITOR Headings, tables, code blocks, maths, outlines, Markdown and full-quality images. Notes that hold up whether you are writing a shopping list or a thesis chapter. ORGANISED AT ANY SIZE Nested notebooks, tags, colours, pinned and favourite notes, and search that stays instant at 10,000 notes. Link notes to each other and build your own private wiki. PRIVACY YOU CAN CHECK YOURSELF • End-to-end encryption is always on — you cannot switch it off, so you cannot forget • Encrypted on your device, in transit and at rest, using XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2 • Even your notebook and tag names are encrypted • 100% open source under AGPLv3 — read every line, or run your own sync server • Recommended by Privacy Guides IMPORT YOUR OLD NOTES Bring your notes, notebooks and tags with you. Import from your previous notes app, plus plain Markdown and HTML files. EVERYWHERE YOU WRITE iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web. Sync is instant, and encrypted the whole way. ALSO INSIDE • Web clipper — save any article, ad-free and offline • Reminders across all your devices • Note version history, so nothing is ever really lost • Publish a note to a shareable link • Dark mode and custom themes FREE FOREVER Unlimited notes, unlimited devices, 50 notebooks, 50 tags and full end-to-end encryption. No ads. No trial countdown. PAID PLANS Add task lists, callouts, recurring reminders, more storage, and — on Pro — app lock, an encrypted vault and full-quality images. From $19.99 a year. Questions or feedback: support@streetwriters.co Privacy policy: https://notesnook.com/privacy Terms: https://notesnook.com/terms

Screenshots

FSNotes4 screens
Notesnook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Notesnook at Free against FSNotes's $4.99. Notesnook also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 66%) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 3 weeks). FSNotes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 20) and chart position (#76 vs unranked). On rating, ads and device support 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

Notesnook is free to download; FSNotes costs $4.99 up front. Notesnook sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. FSNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for FSNotes against 4.7 for Notesnook. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notesnook has 672 ratings behind it against 86, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of FSNotes's written reviews are positive against 79% of Notesnook's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FSNotes ships an update every 3 weeks, Notesnook every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
FSNotes versus Notesnook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFSNotesNotesnook
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (86 ratings)4.7 (672 ratings)
Positive reviews65.5% of reviews78.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings86672 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#76 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB96 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOleksandr HlushchenkoStreetwriters LLC

Customer experience

FSNotes

All ratings86 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral1.2%
Negative5.8%
Written reviews58 reviews
Positive65.5%
Neutral8.6%
Negative25.9%

Notesnook

All ratings672 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral2.4%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews399 reviews
Positive78.7%
Neutral6.5%
Negative14.8%

Bugs and requests

FSNotes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Notesnook

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved search functionality
  • Reminders and calendar integration
  • Handwriting and drawing support
  • Multilingual support
  • Improved table and spreadsheet features

In-app purchases

None

FSNotes

No in-app purchases

17 purchases

Notesnook

Subscriptions17
  • Notesnook Pro$0.991 Month
  • Notesnook Essential Plan7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Notesnook Pro$2.491 Month
Show 14 more
  • Notesnook Pro Plan7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Notesnook Pro3 variants$4.491 Month
  • Notesnook Pro1 Month trial$4.491 Month
  • Notesnook Pro Plan7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Notesnook Believer Plan7 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Notesnook Pro$9.991 Year
  • Notesnook Essential Plan14 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro$24.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro Plan14 Days trial$29.901 Year
  • Notesnook Pro Yearly$49.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro2 variants$49.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro1 Year trial$49.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro Plan14 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Notesnook Believer Plan14 Days trial$89.991 Year

Questions

Is FSNotes free?
FSNotes costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Notesnook free?
Notesnook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FSNotes or Notesnook?
FSNotes and Notesnook are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 86 and 672 ratings respectively.
Do FSNotes or Notesnook have ads?
Neither FSNotes nor Notesnook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FSNotes or Notesnook?
FSNotes ships an update every 3 weeks, and Notesnook every 8 days. Most recently, FSNotes was updated on October 9, 2026 and Notesnook on October 10, 2026.

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