# Secure Notes vs Private Notes.

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Secure Notes at 65% against Private Notes.'s 14%. Secure Notes also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Private Notes.'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.6). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Secure Notes sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Private Notes. asks for nothing beyond the download.

Secure Notes ships an update fortnightly, Private Notes. every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Secure Notes | Private Notes. |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (719 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secure-notes-secret-and-lock/id1469517353/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **719** | — |
| Positive reviews | **65.1% of reviews** | 14.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 67 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [PixelPort LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1355467938) | [WALABOK LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/913827467) |

## What reviewers say

### Secure Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secure-notes-secret-and-lock/id1469517353)

Safeguard your private thoughts, voice memos, and sensitive information with robust, multi-layered security. This app offers military-grade encryption, biometric locks, and secure voice recording to keep your data protected. Enjoy a distraction-free, ad-free experience with a powerful rich text editor and seamless iCloud syncing across devices.

**Highlights:** 3-Layer Security (app, folders, notes), Secure Voice Recording, Biometric Lock (Face ID, Touch ID, Passcode), iCloud Sync, Rich Text Editor with Markdown, Trash Recovery

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Secure Notes - 1 Month PRO | $4.99 | per month |
| Secure Notes - Pro Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Secure Notes Pro Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Secure Notes Pro Annual Offer | $19.99 | per year |
| Secure Notes - 1 Year PRO | $39.99 | per year |
| Secure Notes Pro - Lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🔒 Secure notes and folders
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🚀 Efficient note-taking
- 💡 Innovative features like Love Voice Notes

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy performance after updates
- 🤯 Overly complicated UI changes
- 🔒 Difficulty resetting passwords/access
- 💸 Essential features locked behind paywall

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes
- Delayed text input and display
- Inability to access locked notes

**Requested features**

- Ability to move notes between folders
- Option to customize font, size, and colors
- Trash/Recycle bin for deleted notes
- Cloud sync/backup functionality


### Private Notes.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/private-notes/id1539765495)

Securely store your personal thoughts, ideas, and text with a passcode or biometric authentication. This app offers intuitive text editing tools and a straightforward interface for organizing timestamped notes.

**Highlights:** Biometric and passcode security, Intuitive copy/paste/cut, Text formatting (underline, bold, italic), Timestamped notes, Straightforward user interface

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Secure Notes free?

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

### Is Private Notes. free?

Private Notes. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Secure Notes or Private Notes. have ads?

Private Notes. shows ads; Secure Notes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Secure Notes or Private Notes.?

Secure Notes ships an update fortnightly, and Private Notes. every 2 months. Most recently, Secure Notes was updated on September 24, 2026 and Private Notes. on September 17, 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.*