Comparison

Collected Notes vs Leaf Note

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

Head to head
About

Collected Notes

A note-taking platform that allows users to create private notes, share them publicly, and build a blog with a custom domain. It focuses on a simple, native experience with live Markdown previews and no ads or tracking.

Highlights
  • Markdown with live preview
  • Create private notes
  • Share notes publicly
  • Build a blog with custom domain
  • Native iPhone experience
  • No ads or tracking
Read full description

Upload your thoughts. The simplest, and most powerful note-taking blogging platform ever made. Create private notes, share them publicly and create your blog with a custom domain. ■ Markdown with live preview Live Markdown previews allow you to see the final result in real-time as you type. ■ Simplicity Every app out there eventually tries to do more than they should. We believe in doing less, but better. ■ Native experience The iPhone app allows for a fast native-first experience. Just open the app and go right into writing mode. ■ No nonsense No ads. No feature creep. No tracking. No annoying emails. No data sold. No comments. No vanity metrics. No proprietary formats. You'll never see popups, clutter, subscription up-sells, or anything that interferes with the reading experience. Collected Notes is a reading-first experience. Your attention matters. Terms of use: https://collectednotes.com/blog/terms

About

Leaf Note

This app helps you organize your thoughts into a connected knowledge base using Markdown. It offers secure, local encryption and multiple sync options, ensuring your data is always yours. Features include AI assistance, web clipping, and a smooth, native editing experience.

Highlights
  • Markdown support with syntax highlighting
  • Local data encryption
  • Multiple sync options (iCloud, WebDAV, Git, S3)
  • AI writing assistant
  • Web page to Markdown conversion
  • Bidirectional linking and tagging
  • Chat-style inspiration input
Read full description

"Leaf Note" is a Markdown-based note-taking tool and personal knowledge base, featuring end-to-end encrypted notes and support for multiple cloud synchronization methods—ensuring your notes truly belong to you. Core Features Open Design ・ Notes stored in standard Markdown and plain-text formats ・ File-system-based architecture enables seamless data migration, freeing you from platform lock-in Data Synchronization ・ Supports multiple sync options including iCloud, WebDAV, Git, Amazon S3, and Baidu Netdisk ・ Full control over synchronization pathways; data ownership remains entirely yours Security & Encryption ・ App lock secures entry access ・ AES end-to-end encryption for note content—only you can decrypt and view it Knowledge Capture ・ Full Markdown support with syntax highlighting ・ Supports mathematical formulas, flowcharts, images, audio recordings, and more ・ One-click conversion and saving of web pages as Markdown notes Rapid Input ・ Customizable note templates for one-click insertion—speeding up editing ・ Chat-style inspiration input on the home screen for instantly capturing fleeting ideas Knowledge Management ・ Multi-level directories, tag system, and bidirectional links ・ Global full-text search for effortlessly building your personal knowledge base ・ Multi-dimensional knowledge review with card-based flipping to reinforce learning outcomes ・ Heatmaps and data statistics to help you monitor your knowledge assets at a glance ・ Batch operations for more efficient knowledge management ・ Export notes as images, PDFs, or plain text in multiple formats AI Assistant ・ Built-in writing assistant for real-time conversational support during content creation Smooth Experience ・ Pure native development ensures stable editor performance—even long notes scroll and render smoothly without lag ・ Clean, elegant UI with support for multiple themes to suit diverse usage scenarios --- Start your journey of knowledge accumulation and creative expression with Leaf Note. If you encounter any issues while using the app, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Your feedback continuously drives product iteration and optimization.

Screenshots

Collected Notes4 screens
Leaf Note4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Collected Notes at 4.7 against Leaf Note's 4.0. Collected Notes also leads on ratings volume (43 vs 1). Leaf Note's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Collected Notes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Leaf Note sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Collected Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Collected Notes has 43 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Collected Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, Leaf Note every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Collected Notes versus Leaf Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCollected NotesLeaf Note
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (43 ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews86.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings43 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlfajor Co.守恒 王

Customer experience

Collected Notes

All ratings43 ratings
Positive90.7%
Neutral2.3%
Negative7.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive86.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative13.3%

Leaf Note

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Collected Notes

Subscriptions2
  • Collected Notes Basic7 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Collected Notes Premium7 Days trial$4.991 Month
2 purchases

Leaf Note

One-time2
  • One Year Pro$6.99
  • Lifetime Pro$24.99

Questions

Is Collected Notes free?
Collected Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Leaf Note free?
Leaf Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Collected Notes or Leaf Note?
Collected Notes is rated higher. Collected Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 43 ratings, while Leaf Note averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Collected Notes or Leaf Note have ads?
Neither Collected Notes nor Leaf Note shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Collected Notes or Leaf Note?
Collected Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Leaf Note every 3 weeks. Most recently, Collected Notes was updated on November 3, 2026 and Leaf Note on November 12, 2026.

Other comparisons