Comparison

Hacker Note vs Rub Memo

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

Head to head
About

Hacker Note

This note-taking app offers a unique "coolness" with a design inspired by hackers and sci-fi movies. Enjoy a futuristic feel with a transparent background option and customizable themes. It includes essential features like categorization, password protection, and cloud backup.

Highlights
  • High-performance and simple functionality
  • Transparent app background
  • Theme color customization
  • Category management
  • HTML and Markdown output
  • Password protection
  • Google Drive backup
Features
Read full description

Recommended for those who are tired of general Note Taking apps. Hacker Note is a simple Note Taking App that pursues "coolness". The design is based on the image of "hackers," "sci-fi movies". example "The Matrix". It is also equipped with a function that makes app background look transparent, so you can enjoy a sense of the near future while taking notes, which is different from ordinary memos. [Main functions] ・ High-performance and simple function ・ Background transparency function ・ Theme color change function ・ Category function ・Output function to HTML and markdown ・ Password setting ・ Backup to Google Drive ・Cool Japanese mode - For cool Japanese displays such as kanji. [Features to be expanded in the future] ・ A cooler color theme

About

Rub Memo

This app allows you to erase text by rubbing your finger over it, mimicking the feel of erasing pencil on paper. It also offers a home screen widget for quick access, reordering paragraphs, and inserting various media like tables, checklists, and drawings.

Highlights
  • Erase text with finger rub
  • Home screen widget for notes
  • Reorder paragraphs by long-press and drop
  • Insert tables, checklists, images, and drawings
  • Full-text search with highlighted matches
  • Lock notes with Face ID/Touch ID
  • Export and share as PDF
Features
Read full description

■ Rub to erase Turn on the "Eraser" in the toolbar and just rub your finger over the text you want gone. Characters fade away one by one — no selecting and deleting. It feels like rubbing out pencil on a paper notebook, right on your phone. ■ Home Screen widget Your most recent note appears in a Home Screen widget. Tap it to jump straight back in. ■ More features ・Long-press a paragraph to lift it, then drop it anywhere to reorder ・Insert tables, checklists, images, and finger drawings (you can erase those too) ・Full-text search with highlighted matches ・Lock individual notes with Face ID / Touch ID ・Export and share as PDF ・Switch between Japanese and English ・Adjust font size, font, ruled lines, and eraser width ■ No ads, no in-app purchases, no sign-up, no data collection. All your data stays on your device.

Screenshots

Hacker Note4 screens
Rub Memo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Rub Memo at Free against Hacker Note's $9.99. Rub Memo also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 86%) and update cadence (every 6 days vs fortnightly). Hacker Note's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On 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

Rub Memo is free to download; Hacker Note costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hacker Note ships an update fortnightly, Rub Memo every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 2 level
Hacker Note versus Rub Memo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHacker NoteRub Memo
Price$9.99Free — better
Positive reviews85.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeryuki okadaseiji honda

Customer experience

Hacker Note

Written reviews7 reviews
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%

Rub Memo

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Hacker Note

No in-app purchases

None

Rub Memo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hacker Note free?
Hacker Note costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Rub Memo free?
Rub Memo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Hacker Note or Rub Memo have ads?
Neither Hacker Note nor Rub Memo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hacker Note or Rub Memo?
Hacker Note ships an update fortnightly, and Rub Memo every 6 days. Most recently, Hacker Note was updated on September 24, 2026 and Rub Memo on September 23, 2026.

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