Comparison

Amplenote vs Harbor Notes

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

Head to head
About

Amplenote

This app offers a secure and flexible way to manage notes and tasks. It features rich footnotes, bi-directional linking, and robust sharing options, all while prioritizing data security and seamless syncing across devices. Organize your thoughts and to-dos efficiently with customizable features and offline access.

Highlights
  • Vault encrypted notes
  • Seamless syncing across devices
  • Rich footnotes with mixed media
  • Integrated notes and tasks
  • Bi-directional linking
  • Note tagging and organization
  • Offline access
Features
Read full description

*** Your security is our priority *** - Data security differentiates us from popular to-do list apps - All note contents are encrypted at rest on our servers - Notes can be Vault Encrypted with a password that's never sent to our servers - Your note content is available for download at any time *** Built on seamless syncing *** - Along with data security, accurate syncing is at our core - Designed for heavy users who often switch between the same notes on mobile and desktop - Our sync is fully compatible with Vault Notes (even though we can't decrypt their content) ***Expression is our cornerstone *** - Rich Footnotes that hold text, code, images, or all the above is our flagship feature - Easily insert images into notes, or even into text within notes - A range of the finest markdown stylings at your disposal *** Notes and tasks: better together *** - Text, code, to-do tasks, and images all live inside the same note - Tasks can be customized to recur at flexible intervals or hidden until later - Tasks are automatically removed from your to-do list when completed *** As organized as you are *** - Connect notes with bi-directional linking - Note tags allow multi-level taxonomy to organize notes - Browse these taxonomies like directories - Recreate OneNote browsing hierarchies seamlessly *** Flair for sharing *** - Any note can be instantly shared and edited by multiple parties - Publish notes (including their Rich Footnotes!) to the web with one tap - Shared to-do lists can help a team stay on top of shared responsibilities *** Built for personal productivity *** - Set up any task to repeat relative to when you last got it done - Track how much you're getting done over time with our automatic task graph - Designate tasks as "Urgent" or "Important" to use proven priority techniques *** More than ample enough for power users *** - Simplified, clean UI is efficiently functional - Contextual keyboard toolbar puts the relevant actions at your fingertips - Quick opener allows opening any recently used note in ~3 taps - *** No internet? No problem *** - Continue working offline within new or cached notes - All work will automatically sync once back online *** Ample: no more, no less *** - We won't settle for becoming bloated with non-essential features - We work across mobile and web. *** Get started instantly *** - Use our Evernote Importer to bring your notes from the olden times *** Account required *** - An active Amplenote account is required to use Amplenote. - New accounts automatically receive a 14-day free trial of the Pro plan. - At the end of the trial period, you may choose between the free plan (Personal) or one of the paid plans. - You may purchase an auto-renewing subscription through an In-App Purchase. - 1 month and 1 year durations are available for Basic, Pro, and Founder subscription levels. - Your subscription will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew (at the duration selected) unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. - Current subscriptions may not be cancelled during the active subscription period; however, you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes Account Settings after purchase - Privacy policy: https://www.amplenote.com/privacy_policy - Terms of use: https://www.amplenote.com/terms_of_service

About

Harbor Notes

Capture, organize, and secure all your thoughts, tasks, and files in one private space. This app offers rich note-taking features, robust organization, and instant search, even within images and scanned documents. Your data is yours, with optional end-to-end encryption and no ads or data selling.

Highlights
  • Rich notes with checklists, tables, and highlights
  • Notebooks, stacks, and tags for organization
  • Task management with due dates
  • Document scanning and sketching
  • Voice memos and file attachments
  • Instant search with OCR
  • Offline-first native apps
Features
Read full description

Harbor is your private second brain — a fast, native notes app for people who want to remember everything and own it for life. Capture notes, organize them into notebooks, tag anything, attach photos and files, scan paper documents, sketch ideas, and record voice memos. Then find any of it in seconds — Harbor's search even reads the text inside your images and scans. REMEMBER EVERYTHING • Rich notes with checklists, tables, images, links, and highlights • Notebooks and stacks that keep every part of your life organized • Tags that cut across notebooks • Tasks with due dates, right beside your notes • Scan documents with your camera; sketch with your finger or Apple Pencil • Voice memos and file attachments of every kind • Instant search across everything — including the text inside images and scans (OCR) YOURS, EVERYWHERE • Truly native apps for iPhone, iPad, and Mac — no web wrapper • Offline-first: your notes live on your device and sync automatically • The full web app at app.harbor.my from any browser • A web clipper that saves articles and pages straight into your notebooks PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No ads. No selling your data. No training AI on your notes. Ever. • Optional end-to-end encryption locks down your most sensitive notes so that no one — not even us — can read them • Export everything anytime in open formats. You are never locked in. SWITCHING FROM ANOTHER NOTES APP? Import your Evernote notebooks (.enex files) with the Mac or web app — your notebooks, tags, and attachments sync straight to your iPhone and iPad. SIMPLE, HONEST PRICING Harbor is free for up to 50 notes, 3 notebooks, and 20 tags — no credit card required. When you outgrow the free plan, Harbor Unlimited removes every limit: • $9.99/month or $99/year • Unlimited notes, notebooks, tags, tasks, and files • A written price-lock promise in our terms: your price won't go up for at least 3 years Subscriptions are billed to your Apple ID and renew automatically until cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. And even if you stop paying, you can always read and export your notes — Harbor never holds your data hostage. Privacy Policy: https://harbor.my/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://harbor.my/terms/ Questions? A real person answers: help@harbor.my

Screenshots

Amplenote4 screens
Harbor Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Harbor Notes at 5.0 against Amplenote's 4.6. Harbor Notes also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 78%) and update cadence (every 4 days vs weekly). Amplenote's advantage is ratings volume (492 vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.4 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Amplenote sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Harbor Notes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Harbor Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Amplenote has 492 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Amplenote's written reviews are positive against 100% of Harbor Notes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Amplenote ships an update weekly, Harbor Notes every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Amplenote versus Harbor Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAmplenoteHarbor Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (492 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings492 — better4
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.4 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlloy.dev, Inc.Cloudmanic Labs, LLC

Customer experience

Amplenote

All ratings492 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral1.8%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews166 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral2.4%
Negative19.3%

Harbor Notes

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Amplenote

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App freezing and crashing
  • Widgets not working on iOS
  • Calendar integration issues
  • Task pane glitches on iPad

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ability to increase text size
  • Improved search functionality
  • Kanban-style task management
  • Handwriting and drawing support
  • Customizable calendar views
Show 1 more
  • Automatic event creation

Harbor Notes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Amplenote

Subscriptions11
  • Basic Plan - Monthly14 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Pro Plan - Monthly14 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Ample Agent Pro - Monthly$7.991 Month
Show 8 more
  • Pro Plan - Monthly14 Days trial$11.991 Month
  • Unlimited Plan - Monthly14 Days trial$11.991 Month
  • Founder Plan - Monthly14 Days trial$24.991 Month
  • Basic Plan - Yearly14 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Pro Plan - Yearly14 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Pro Plan - Yearly14 Days trial$119.991 Year
  • Unlimited Plan - Yearly14 Days trial$119.991 Year
  • Founder Plan - Yearly14 Days trial$239.991 Year
2 purchases

Harbor Notes

Subscriptions2
  • Unlimited — Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Unlimited — Yearly$99.001 Year

Questions

Is Amplenote free?
Amplenote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Harbor Notes free?
Harbor Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Amplenote or Harbor Notes?
Harbor Notes is rated higher. Amplenote averages 4.6 out of 5 from 492 ratings, while Harbor Notes averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Amplenote or Harbor Notes have ads?
Neither Amplenote nor Harbor Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Amplenote or Harbor Notes?
Amplenote ships an update weekly, and Harbor Notes every 4 days. Most recently, Amplenote was updated on October 10, 2026 and Harbor Notes on October 11, 2026.

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