EteSync Notes vs Filen
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Secure and privacy-respecting
- Open-source client and server
- Full data history and change journal
- Easy to use with credentials
- Data restoration and versioning
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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.
Filen
Securely store photos, videos, and documents with military-grade encryption. Access files on any device, share them easily, and enjoy features like offline access and encrypted notes. Offers a free tier with 10 GB storage.
- 10 GB free storage
- Unlimited pro storage
- Secure client-side encryption
- Offline file access
- Cross-device file access
- Encrypted notes and chats
- Automatic camera upload
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Filen is everything you need for storing your photos, videos and documents secure and encrypted in the cloud. Get 10 GB storage for free when you create an account. Features: - Get 10 GB when you create an account - Get unlimited storage with our pro offerings - Easily share files with family, friends and colleagues, even if they are not Filen users - Military grade client sided AES 256 bit encryption, your files truly belong to you - only you - Make files available offline for easy access wherever, whenever - Stream and preview your photos, documents, images and audio files straight from the cloud - Access your files on every device - Encrypted notes - Encrypted chats - Clean, easy to use interface for easy file management - Dark mode available for those who work at night or just love the darker look! - Automatic camera upload - Share target - Files app integration Terms of service: https://filen.io/terms Privacy policy: https://filen.io/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: EteSync Notes at 100% against Filen's 48%. EteSync Notes also leads on monetization model (free vs freemium) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). Filen's advantage is rating (3.8 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (123 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Filen holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Filen has 123 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of EteSync Notes's written reviews are positive against 48% of Filen's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
EteSync Notes ships an update weekly, Filen fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | EteSync Notes | Filen |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (2 ratings) | 3.8 (123 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 47.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 123 — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 103 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | EteSync Ltd | Filen Cloud Dienste UG (haftungsbeschraenkt) |
Customer experience
EteSync Notes
Filen
Bugs and requests
EteSync Notes
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Filen
Reported bugs
18 issues- App crashes when uploading photos/videos
- Music pauses when app is minimized
- Photo upload stuck at specific file counts (e.g., 42 photos)
- Notes lose data during sync
- Note type conversion deletes text content
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Video thumbnails not displaying correctly
- Cannot open audio files in app
- App stuck on opening screen
- Login credentials not working on iOS despite working elsewhere
- Upload progress not visible in latest update
- File upload stalls at 'finishing' stage
- Camera upload fails with VPN enabled
- Rich text editor loses data on sync
- Share public link toggle does nothing
- Media not found error when uploading images
- App unable to load albums page
- Password reset link not sending
- Automatic account deletion after inactivity
Requested features
12 requests- Video streaming/playback within app
- Read-only file mode option
- Back-sync feature (delete from phone, delete from cloud)
- Multi-select file upload capability
- iPad split-screen view support
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- Shared folder system like Dropbox/Google Drive
- Album-to-folder mapping for camera uploads
- iOS Files app integration/mounting
- Audio file playback within app
- Dark mode following system settings
- Magnetic link download support
- Better gallery navigation and filtering
In-app purchases
EteSync Notes
No in-app purchases
Filen
No in-app purchases
