Purnote vs CapsulePad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Purnote
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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. โข Free โ no subscription, no ads, no accounts โข Plain Markdown files, stored in iCloud Drive where you can see them โข Share from any app into Purnote โ save a post or link as a note, in the folder you choose โข Organise notes in folders, with #tags and Smart Folders โข Add photos to a note โ saved as plain files beside it, never locked in โข Create tables from the formatting bar โข Drag a note onto a folder to move it โข 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 โข Notes are named after their first line, so the folder makes sense on your Mac โข Rendered notes with headings, tables, task lists and code blocks โข Full text search across every note โข 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.
CapsulePad
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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 (โฅโN for a new note, โฅโA to see every note, โฅโL 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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Purnote ships an update every 2 weeks, CapsulePad every 5 days. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.
| Parameter | Purnote | CapsulePad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 5 days โ better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Mac โ better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sasa Mitrovic | Jonathan Wyatt |
In-app purchases
Purnote
No in-app purchases
CapsulePad
No in-app purchases









