# Notesnook vs Blocknotes

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Notesnook at 78% against Blocknotes's 25%. Notesnook also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (653 vs 2). Blocknotes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 20). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notesnook sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Blocknotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Notesnook holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notesnook has 653 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Notesnook's written reviews are positive against 25% of Blocknotes's.

Notesnook ships an update weekly, Blocknotes monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notesnook | Blocknotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (653 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notesnook-private-notepad/id1544027013/reviews)** | [4.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blocknotes/id6450189974/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **653** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **78.5% of reviews** | 25.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 89 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Streetwriters LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1536533660) | [Automattic](https://appshunter.io/developer/335703883) |

## What reviewers say

### Notesnook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notesnook-private-notepad/id1544027013)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Notesnook Pro | $0.99 | per month |
| Notesnook Essential Plan | $1.99 | per month |
| Notesnook Pro | $2.49 | per month |
| Notesnook Pro Plan | $2.99 | per month |
| Notesnook Pro | $4.49 | per month |
| Notesnook Pro | $4.49 | per month |
| Notesnook Pro Plan | $6.99 | per month |
| Notesnook Believer Plan | $8.99 | per month |
| Notesnook Pro | $9.99 | per year |
| Notesnook Essential Plan | $19.99 | per year |
| Notesnook Pro | $24.99 | per year |
| Notesnook Pro Plan | $29.90 | per year |
| Notesnook Pro Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Notesnook Pro | $49.99 | per year |
| Notesnook Pro | $49.99 | per year |
| Notesnook Pro Plan | $69.99 | per year |
| Notesnook Believer Plan | $89.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on launch on older iOS devices
- Sync issues leading to data loss
- Unreliable login and verification process

**Requested features**

- Improved search functionality
- Reminders and calendar integration
- Handwriting and drawing support
- Multilingual support
- Improved table and spreadsheet features


### Blocknotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blocknotes/id6450189974)

This app saves your notes as local HTML files, ensuring complete offline privacy. Your notes sync automatically across devices via iCloud Drive. It requires an iCloud account to function.

**Highlights:** Local HTML file storage, Completely offline functionality, No internet connection required, Automatic iCloud Drive sync, Cross-device synchronization

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notesnook free?

Notesnook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Blocknotes free?

Blocknotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Notesnook or Blocknotes?

Notesnook is rated higher. Notesnook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 653 ratings, while Blocknotes averages 4.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Notesnook or Blocknotes have ads?

Neither Notesnook nor Blocknotes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notesnook or Blocknotes?

Notesnook ships an update weekly, and Blocknotes monthly. Most recently, Notesnook was updated on October 4, 2026 and Blocknotes on September 21, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*