# PhotoNote vs IceVault

The clearest difference is ads: IceVault at none against PhotoNote's shown. PhotoNote's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.2). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PhotoNote sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month and IceVault sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PhotoNote ships an update every 3 weeks, IceVault monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PhotoNote | IceVault |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photonote-take-note-by-camera/id1465555338/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 35 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.2 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Satoshi Kobayashi](https://appshunter.io/developer/909987119) | [Kouichi Abe](https://appshunter.io/developer/295852950) |

## What reviewers say

### PhotoNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photonote-take-note-by-camera/id1465555338)

Capture information visually by taking photos instead of typing. Organize your visual notes with tabs and colored tags. Photos are stored within the app, preventing clutter in your device's photo gallery.

**Highlights:** Capture notes via camera, Organize with tabs, Categorize with colored tags, Internal photo storage, Reorder notes and tags

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro plan | $1.99 | per month |


### IceVault

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/icevault-encrypted-database/id1661418945)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| IceVault Pro | $24.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PhotoNote free?

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

### Is IceVault free?

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

### Do PhotoNote or IceVault have ads?

PhotoNote shows ads; IceVault does not.

### Which is updated more often, PhotoNote or IceVault?

PhotoNote ships an update every 3 weeks, and IceVault monthly. Most recently, PhotoNote was updated on October 8, 2026 and IceVault on October 14, 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.*