Comparison

Notesnook vs eM Client

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

Head to head
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

About

eM Client

This app unifies email, calendar, tasks, contacts, and notes into a single, AI-enhanced platform. It offers advanced features typically found on desktop, including instant message translation and robust encryption, for seamless management of multiple accounts on your iPhone and iPad.

Highlights
  • AI-enhanced email drafting and replies
  • Unified inbox for email, calendar, tasks, contacts, and notes
  • Instant message translation
  • PGP and S/MIME encryption
  • Quick import from desktop app
  • Mail-tracking pixel detection
  • Snooze and Undo Send features
Read full description

These features include: • Super easy setup including quick import from the desktop app via QR code • AI Support for replies and email drafting • Emails, calendars, tasks, contacts and notes all in one place • Favorite, Global, and search folders to easily manage multiple accounts • Instant message translation • PGP and S/MIME encryption • Tags and Gmail labels support to sort and color-code your messages • Signatures you can choose from and assign to your accounts • QuickText: snippets of text you can quickly insert into your emails • Templates • Messages grouped into conversations • Advanced privacy options • Mail-Tracking pixel detection • Snooze • Watch for reply • Undo Send • Password protection • Online meetings integration • Cloud storage providers integration • Mobile device management (MDM) support and more

Screenshots

Notesnook4 screens
eM Client4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Notesnook at 4.7 against eM Client's 3.7. Notesnook also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 48%) and ratings volume (672 vs 47). eM Client's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 20). 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. eM Client asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notesnook holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notesnook has 672 ratings behind it against 47, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Notesnook's written reviews are positive against 48% of eM Client's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notesnook ships an update every 8 days, eM Client every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Notesnook versus eM Client: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotesnookeM Client
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (672 ratings) — better3.7 (47 ratings)
Positive reviews78.7% of reviews — better48.3% of reviews
Number of ratings672 — better47
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size96 MB178 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStreetwriters LLCeM Client

Customer experience

Notesnook

All ratings672 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral2.4%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews399 reviews
Positive78.7%
Neutral6.5%
Negative14.8%

eM Client

All ratings47 ratings
Positive61.7%
Neutral12.8%
Negative25.5%
Written reviews356 reviews
Positive48.3%
Neutral18.0%
Negative33.7%

User reviews

Notesnook

From 672 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient
  • 🔒 Secure and private
  • 👍 Clean and intuitive UI
  • 👍 Cross-platform compatibility
  • 👍 Generous free tier

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync and login issues
  • 🐛 Buggy and crashes
  • 💰 Expensive premium tier
  • 🔒 Lack of free encryption features

eM Client

From 47 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Reliable and customizable
  • 🔒 Great privacy and security features
  • 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
  • 🚀 Smooth and fast performance
  • 👍 Seamless sync between desktop and mobile

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Slow email sync and loading issues
  • 🐛 Unreliable push notifications and badge counts
  • 🐛 Inconsistent behavior compared to other email apps
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches, especially in the initial release
  • 🔋 High battery consumption

Bugs and 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

eM Client

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Emails not sending immediately
  • Drafts not visible or editable
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between folders
  • Trouble signing in to multiple Google accounts

Requested features

6 requests
  • Calendar integration
  • Improved background refresh and sync
  • Custom notification sounds
  • Ability to sort emails by sender
  • More customization options
Show 1 more
  • Actions from notifications (archive, mark as read, etc.)

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
None

eM Client

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notesnook free?
Notesnook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is eM Client free?
eM Client is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Notesnook or eM Client?
Notesnook is rated higher. Notesnook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 672 ratings, while eM Client averages 3.7 from 47 ratings.
Do Notesnook or eM Client have ads?
Neither Notesnook nor eM Client shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notesnook or eM Client?
Notesnook ships an update every 8 days, and eM Client every 10 days. Most recently, Notesnook was updated on October 13, 2026 and eM Client on October 9, 2026.

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