# Minimal | Notes vs Patron

The clearest difference is device support: Minimal | Notes at 4 against Patron's 2. Minimal | Notes also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Minimal | Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Patron sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Minimal | Notes ships an update every 3 weeks, Patron monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Minimal | Notes | Patron |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (290 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minimal-notes/id1442727443/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **290** | — |
| Positive reviews | 81.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Size | 59 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Timeless](https://appshunter.io/developer/1183067513) | [Luke Antony Martin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1716896288) |

## What reviewers say

### Minimal | Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minimal-notes/id1442727443)

This app offers a distraction-free writing environment inspired by meditation. It features collaborative writing, note expiration, and the ability to publish notes as websites. Organize tasks with integrated to-do lists and sync across all your Apple devices.

**Highlights:** Note Lifetime reminders, Collaborative writing, Publish notes as websites, Todo lists sync with Calendar, Beautiful formatting, Sync across Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Minimal Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Minimal Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| Minimal Family Plan | $79.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent note-taking app
- 👍 Beautiful and simple design
- 🚀 Seamless syncing across devices
- 👍 Customizable appearance and formatting
- 🚀 Responsive and helpful developer

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Lack of password protection or locking for notes
- 💰 Expensive subscription model

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when using certain formatting or pasting content
- Syncing issues between iOS and macOS versions
- Incompatibility with older macOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add ability to insert images or attachments
- Improve iCloud sync reliability
- Implement a folder-based organization system
- Add a word/character count feature


### Patron

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/patron-simple-notes/id6748933001)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $0.49 | per month |
| Annual Subscription | $4.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Minimal | Notes free?

Minimal | Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Patron free?

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

### Do Minimal | Notes or Patron have ads?

Neither Minimal | Notes nor Patron shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Minimal | Notes or Patron?

Minimal | Notes ships an update every 3 weeks, and Patron monthly. Most recently, Minimal | Notes was updated on October 12, 2026 and Patron on October 2, 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.*