# FSNotes vs Notesnook

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | FSNotes | Notesnook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.7 (86 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fsnotes/id1346501102/reviews) | [4.7 (672 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notesnook-private-notepad/id1544027013/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 86 | **672** |
| Positive reviews | 65.5% of reviews | **78.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#76** | — |
| Size | 26 MB | 96 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Oleksandr Hlushchenko](https://appshunter.io/developer/1277179283) | [Streetwriters LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1536533660) |

## What reviewers say

### FSNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fsnotes/id1346501102)

**Currently charting:** #76 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### 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 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*