Comparison

EteSync Notes vs Notesnook

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

Head to head
About

EteSync Notes

This app offers a secure and private note-taking experience. It features a change journal for data history, allowing you to restore or revert to past versions. An EteSync account is required, which can be hosted on a free, open-source server.

Highlights
  • Secure and privacy-respecting
  • Open-source client and server
  • Full data history and change journal
  • Easy to use with credentials
  • Data restoration and versioning
Features
Read full description

EteSync is a secure and privacy respecting note taking application. In order to use this application you need to have an EteSync account, either on an existing server or your own (it's free and open source). Easy to Use =========== EteSync is very easy to use, you just put in your credentials and the app is ready to use. Secure & Open ============ EteSync is secure and respects your privacy. Don't believe us? You shouldn't, just verify yourself, both the client and server are open source. Full History ========= A full history of your data is saved in a change journal which means your data is never lost, even if deleted, and you can always restore, revert and access past versions of your data.

About

Notesnook

This open-source app offers secure, encrypted note-taking and organization across all your devices. It features a robust editor, to-do lists, and a private journal with advanced security to protect your personal information.

Highlights
  • Military-grade encryption
  • Cross-platform synchronization
  • To-do lists and task management
  • Private journal with media support
  • Rich text and Markdown editor
  • Notebook organization
  • App lock with fingerprint support
Features
Read full description

Your notes are yours. Notesnook encrypts every one of them on your device before it ever reaches the cloud — so no one can read them. Not advertisers, not us. UNLIMITED NOTES. EVERY DEVICE. FREE. Most note apps cap the free plan until it hurts. Others stop after a few dozen notes. Notesnook never limits how much you write or how many devices you sync. A REAL EDITOR Headings, tables, code blocks, maths, outlines, Markdown and full-quality images. Notes that hold up whether you are writing a shopping list or a thesis chapter. ORGANISED AT ANY SIZE Nested notebooks, tags, colours, pinned and favourite notes, and search that stays instant at 10,000 notes. Link notes to each other and build your own private wiki. PRIVACY YOU CAN CHECK YOURSELF • End-to-end encryption is always on — you cannot switch it off, so you cannot forget • Encrypted on your device, in transit and at rest, using XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2 • Even your notebook and tag names are encrypted • 100% open source under AGPLv3 — read every line, or run your own sync server • Recommended by Privacy Guides IMPORT YOUR OLD NOTES Bring your notes, notebooks and tags with you. Import from your previous notes app, plus plain Markdown and HTML files. EVERYWHERE YOU WRITE iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web. Sync is instant, and encrypted the whole way. ALSO INSIDE • Web clipper — save any article, ad-free and offline • Reminders across all your devices • Note version history, so nothing is ever really lost • Publish a note to a shareable link • Dark mode and custom themes FREE FOREVER Unlimited notes, unlimited devices, 50 notebooks, 50 tags and full end-to-end encryption. No ads. No trial countdown. PAID PLANS Add task lists, callouts, recurring reminders, more storage, and — on Pro — app lock, an encrypted vault and full-quality images. From $19.99 a year. Questions or feedback: support@streetwriters.co Privacy policy: https://notesnook.com/privacy Terms: https://notesnook.com/terms

Screenshots

EteSync Notes4 screens
Notesnook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Notesnook at 4.7 against EteSync Notes's 3.0. Notesnook also leads on ratings volume (670 vs 2). EteSync Notes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 20) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.6). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. Notesnook sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. EteSync Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notesnook holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notesnook has 670 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
EteSync Notes versus Notesnook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEteSync NotesNotesnook
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings)4.7 (670 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2670 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB89 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEteSync LtdStreetwriters LLC

Customer experience

EteSync Notes

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Notesnook

All ratings670 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral2.4%
Negative4.6%

Bugs and requests

EteSync Notes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Notesnook

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on launch on older iOS devices
  • Sync issues leading to data loss
  • Unreliable login and verification process

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved search functionality
  • Reminders and calendar integration
  • Handwriting and drawing support
  • Multilingual support
  • Improved table and spreadsheet features

In-app purchases

None

EteSync Notes

No in-app purchases

17 purchases

Notesnook

Subscriptions17
  • Notesnook Pro$0.991 Month
  • Notesnook Essential Plan7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Notesnook Pro$2.491 Month
Show 14 more
  • Notesnook Pro Plan7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Notesnook Pro3 variants$4.491 Month
  • Notesnook Pro1 Month trial$4.491 Month
  • Notesnook Pro Plan7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Notesnook Believer Plan7 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Notesnook Pro$9.991 Year
  • Notesnook Essential Plan14 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro$24.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro Plan14 Days trial$29.901 Year
  • Notesnook Pro Yearly$49.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro2 variants$49.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro1 Year trial$49.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro Plan14 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Notesnook Believer Plan14 Days trial$89.991 Year

Questions

Is EteSync Notes free?
EteSync Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Notesnook free?
Notesnook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, EteSync Notes or Notesnook?
Notesnook is rated higher. EteSync Notes averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Notesnook averages 4.7 from 670 ratings.
Do EteSync Notes or Notesnook have ads?
Neither EteSync Notes nor Notesnook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, EteSync Notes or Notesnook?
EteSync Notes ships an update weekly, and Notesnook weekly. Most recently, EteSync Notes was updated on September 26, 2026 and Notesnook on October 7, 2026.

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