# NotePlan vs Hourglass

The clearest difference is price: NotePlan at Free against Hourglass's $0.99. NotePlan also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 9 months) and device support (4 vs 2). On ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

NotePlan is free to download; Hourglass costs $0.99 up front. NotePlan sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Hourglass sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

NotePlan ships an update monthly, Hourglass every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NotePlan | Hourglass |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteplan-to-do-list-and-notes/id1505432629/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.5K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 85.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 9 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Size | 210 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [NotePlan LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1137020763) | [SNEH NILESH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1642734403) |

## What reviewers say

### NotePlan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteplan-to-do-list-and-notes/id1505432629)

Organize your tasks, notes, and calendar in one unified app. Quickly plan your day with Markdown, link notes bi-directionally, and stay on top of your to-dos with powerful review and search features. Seamlessly integrates with your existing calendars and syncs across all your Apple devices.

**Highlights:** Unified task, note, and calendar view, Markdown for quick task and note creation, Bi-directional note linking, Calendar integration (iCloud, Google, Exchange), Flexible recurring tasks, Global Command Bar for fast navigation, Plaintext note storage

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Personal Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Personal Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Personal Monthly | $11.99 | per month |
| Personal Monthly | $12.00 | per month |
| Personal Annual | $59.99 | per year |
| Personal Annual | $99.99 | per year |
| Personal Annual | $119.99 | per year |
| Business Class | $199.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful note-taking and task management
- 👍 Seamless calendar and reminders integration
- 💡 Flexible and customizable workflow
- 🔒 Secure and open-format data storage
- 👍 Responsive and helpful developer

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🐛 Occasional sync and performance issues
- 👤 Limited collaboration and sharing features

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent sync between devices
- Crashes when opening certain files

**Requested features**

- Improved iPad and mobile app experience
- Better integration with other productivity apps
- More automation and scripting capabilities
- Weekly or monthly calendar view


### Hourglass

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hourglass-countdown-timer/id1642734401)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $5.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NotePlan free?

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

### Is Hourglass free?

Hourglass costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Do NotePlan or Hourglass have ads?

Neither NotePlan nor Hourglass shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, NotePlan or Hourglass?

NotePlan ships an update monthly, and Hourglass every 9 months. Most recently, NotePlan was updated on October 20, 2026 and Hourglass on October 11, 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.*