Comparison

Purnote vs CapsulePad

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

Head to head
About

Purnote

Features
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Notes you actually own. Purnote keeps every note as a plain Markdown file in your own iCloud Drive โ€” no database, no proprietary format, no lock-in. Every note is an ordinary .md file in a folder called purnote, so you can open, edit, search, back up or move your notes with any tool you like โ€” on your Mac, in any text editor, forever. Write a note on your phone and it is on your Mac a moment later. Edit it on your Mac and it changes on your phone while you are looking at it. If you ever stop using Purnote, you still have your notes. That is the whole idea. โ€ข Free โ€” no subscription, no ads, no accounts โ€ข Plain Markdown files, stored in iCloud Drive where you can see them โ€ข Share from any app into Purnote โ€” save a post or link as a note, in the folder you choose โ€ข Organise notes in folders, with #tags and Smart Folders โ€ข Add photos to a note โ€” saved as plain files beside it, never locked in โ€ข Create tables from the formatting bar โ€ข Drag a note onto a folder to move it โ€ข Formatting buttons above the keyboard โ€” headings, bold, italic, lists, checklists, quotes, links โ€” so you do not need to know Markdown to write it โ€ข Notes are named after their first line, so the folder makes sense on your Mac โ€ข Rendered notes with headings, tables, task lists and code blocks โ€ข Full text search across every note โ€ข Works without iCloud too, keeping notes on this iPhone Purnote collects nothing. There are no accounts, no analytics, and no servers other than your own iCloud.

About

CapsulePad

Features
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CapsulePad is a native Mac and iPhone/iPad app for quick notes that stay out of your way until you need them. On the Mac, CapsulePad docks a thin pill of colored notes to the edge of your screen. Move your pointer close and it fans out into labeled tabs โ€” click one to open it full-size, or drive the whole thing from the keyboard (โŒฅโŒ˜N for a new note, โŒฅโŒ˜A to see every note, โŒฅโŒ˜L to archive the one in front). Reorder notes by dragging, color-code them for quick scanning, and archive or permanently delete the ones you're done with. Your notes sync automatically across every Mac and iPhone/iPad signed into the same iCloud account, so a note you jot down at your desk is already there when you pick up your phone. For anything you'd rather keep private, lock individual notes with Face ID, Touch ID, or your device passcode. A locked note's title stays visible so you can still find it, but its contents stay encrypted until you unlock it โ€” and it asks again every time you open it. Back up everything at once as Markdown, plain text, or a full-fidelity CapsulePad archive you can import back in later, on this Mac or another. CapsulePad has no account system, no ads, and no analytics โ€” your notes stay on your own devices and sync only through your own iCloud, the same as any other Apple app.

Screenshots

Purnote4 screens
CapsulePad2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: CapsulePad at every 5 days against Purnote's every 2 weeks. CapsulePad also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Purnote ships an update every 2 weeks, CapsulePad every 5 days. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Purnote versus CapsulePad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPurnoteCapsulePad
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 5 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac โ€” better
Requires iOS18.017.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size2 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSasa MitrovicJonathan Wyatt

In-app purchases

None

Purnote

No in-app purchases

None

CapsulePad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Purnote free?
Purnote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CapsulePad free?
CapsulePad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Purnote or CapsulePad have ads?
Neither Purnote nor CapsulePad shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Purnote or CapsulePad?
Purnote ships an update every 2 weeks, and CapsulePad every 5 days. Most recently, Purnote was updated on November 13, 2026 and CapsulePad on November 13, 2026.

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