# Minimal | Notes vs Hey Max

The clearest difference is monetization model: Hey Max at free against Minimal | Notes's subscription. Hey Max also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Minimal | Notes's advantage is ratings volume (298 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Minimal | Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Hey Max sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hey Max holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Minimal | Notes has 298 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Minimal | Notes ships an update monthly, Hey Max every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Minimal | Notes | Hey Max |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (298 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minimal-notes/id1442727443/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hey-max/id6794578374/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **298** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 81.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free** |
| Size | 59 MB | 86 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Timeless](https://appshunter.io/developer/1183067513) | [stephen marlow](https://appshunter.io/developer/1885251800) |

## 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


### Hey Max

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hey-max/id6794578374)

An intelligent AI personal assistant that can chat, generate ideas, write emails, send messages, and make calls. It offers real-time visual analysis through your camera and remembers your preferences for a personalized experience.

**Highlights:** AI-powered chat and idea generation, Email and message composition, Voice and video calling, Real-time visual analysis via camera, Multilingual translation, Personalized memory and assistance

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| hey. max pro | $14.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Minimal | Notes free?

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

### Is Hey Max free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Minimal | Notes or Hey Max?

Hey Max is rated higher. Minimal | Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 298 ratings, while Hey Max averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Minimal | Notes or Hey Max have ads?

Neither Minimal | Notes nor Hey Max shows ads.

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

Minimal | Notes ships an update monthly, and Hey Max every 3 days. Most recently, Minimal | Notes was updated on November 2, 2026 and Hey Max on October 31, 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.*