Comparison

Jotify vs Zavala

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

Head to head
About

Jotify

This app offers a lightning-fast note-taking experience, designed for speed and simplicity. Set reminders, sync notes instantly across devices, and enjoy offline access. Notes are private, beautifully displayed, and color-coded for easy organization.

Highlights
  • Ultra-fast note creation
  • Built-in reminder setting
  • Instant cross-device syncing
  • Offline note access
  • Color-coded and searchable notes
  • Open-source and privacy-focused
Features
Read full description

Jotify innovates on traditional sticky notes by empowering the user to write a note with ridiculous speed - faster than sending a text. Secure, simple, and blazing fast, Jotify is the perfect companion for your jots and reminders. There is no app more intuitive or beautiful than Jotify, helping you get back to what's important. Features: • Speed and simplicity are fundamental to Jotify. Simply open, start typing, and press enter. No useless formatting or time-wasting menus. • Reminders. As you write a note, it is extremely easy to set a reminder using the built-in toolbar. No lengthy menus or complex tutorials required. • All of your notes are just that, yours. You have complete control of your data. It can be deleted at anytime and is accessible only to you. • Instant syncing. Never wait through loading menus again; your notes sync in real time between devices. • Offline support is a given with a note taking app. Because Jotify stores notes on the cloud and locally on your device, all of your notes can be accessed at any time, anywhere. • Notes are displayed in a beautiful collection that can be color coded, filtered, or searched. • No subscriptions - ever. Don't pay annually just to take notes. • Dark mode with Jotify looks amazing. It just does. • Jotify is open source, so you know exactly what is running on your device. Jotify respects your privacy and collects the minimum information needed to function. And if you don't believe me, you can check for yourself.

About

Zavala

This app offers a modern approach to outlining, providing a full suite of features. It supports gestures, keyboard shortcuts, and multiple windows for efficient organization and content creation. Easily import and export in various formats, sync across devices, and customize your outlining experience.

Highlights
  • OPML Import & Export
  • Markdown Export
  • iCloud Syncing & Sharing
  • Nested Tags
  • Image Embedding
  • Keyboard Shortcuts
  • Drag and Drop
Features
Read full description

Zavala is a modern take on a traditional outliner. It is a full featured app. It takes full advantage of your device by leveraging gestures, keyboard shortcuts, and multiple windows. Other features: * OPML import & export * Markdown import & export * HTML import & export * iCloud syncing * iCloud sharing with other iCloud users * Encrypted outlines and encrypted iCloud sync * Nested Tags for organizing Outlines * Support for embedding images * Print support * Drag and drop * Text formatting * Links * Completed items * Notes * Customizable fonts and sizes * Backlinks * Shortcuts support * Web clipper share extension * Typewriter scrolling * Automatic row numbering including Decimal and Legal numbering

Screenshots

Jotify4 screens
Zavala2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Zavala at none against Jotify's 1. Jotify's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Jotify sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Zavala asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Jotify against 4.8 for Zavala. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 38 and 70 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Jotify's written reviews are positive against 88% of Zavala's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Jotify ships an update every 3 weeks, Zavala every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Jotify versus Zavala: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJotifyZavala
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (38 ratings)4.8 (70 ratings) — better
Positive reviews89.5% of reviews — better87.7% of reviews
Number of ratings3870 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLeathal Enterprises LLCVincode, Inc

Customer experience

Jotify

All ratings38 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral2.6%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive89.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.5%

Zavala

All ratings69 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews65 reviews
Positive87.7%
Neutral3.1%
Negative9.2%

Bugs and requests

Jotify

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Zavala

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Broken sync between iPhone and Mac
  • iCloud database incompatibility
  • Unable to format using toolbar
  • Lost outline after update
  • Sidebar not available
Show 4 more
  • Cannot open outlines from Document Provider
  • App crashes on M1
  • IME input ignored in body text (Japanese)
  • Abstürze beim Anlegen des ersten Dokuments (M1)

Requested features

15 requests
  • Continue releasing macOS builds for older versions
  • Legacy database option for iOS apps
  • Cross-platform support
  • Ability to change tag and outline list order manually
  • Support for hiding notes
Show 10 more
  • Typewriter scroll mode
  • Due dates on the right of the note
  • Font color change
  • Multi-select for dragging
  • Copy and paste lines
  • Option to use system fonts
  • Full screen document view with swipe gesture
  • Adjust line spacing
  • Improve drag and drop behavior on Mac
  • Sync via Nextcloud

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Jotify

One-time1
  • Jotify Premium$1.99
None

Zavala

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Jotify free?
Jotify is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Zavala free?
Zavala is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Jotify or Zavala?
Zavala is rated higher. Jotify averages 4.8 out of 5 from 38 ratings, while Zavala averages 4.8 from 70 ratings.
Do Jotify or Zavala have ads?
Neither Jotify nor Zavala shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Jotify or Zavala?
Jotify ships an update every 3 weeks, and Zavala every 2 weeks. Most recently, Jotify was updated on November 3, 2026 and Zavala on November 3, 2026.

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