Comparison

Notesnook vs AppFlowy

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

AppFlowy

This AI-powered workspace centralizes tasks, notes, and projects with flexible data visualization. Collaborate with teams, leverage AI for content generation and insights, and enjoy offline access and self-hosting for data control.

Highlights
  • AI-powered content generation and insights
  • Organize data in tables, Kanban, and calendars
  • Create rich documents with 20+ content types
  • Team collaboration and knowledge base
  • Offline support and self-hosting options
  • Cross-device synchronization
Features
Read full description

Bring projects, wikis, and teams together with AI AppFlowy is an AI collaborative workspace where you achieve more without losing control of your data. A centralized place for your tasks, notes, docs, and projects. Organize and visualize your data in tables, Kanban boards, calendars, and more. Transform the way you work with AppFlowy - Tasks & Projects: Break down complex projects into manageable tasks, create your own priority labels, status tags, and set due dates. Capture every details in a database and - visualize data in any way you want - Notes & Docs: Create beautiful, organized documents with to-dos, images, files, code block, math equation, and 20+ content types - Kanban Boards: Visualize your workflow with customizable boards, add checklists to track subtasks, and label and group tasks into different buckets - Calendar View: Stay on top of deadlines and milestones AI - Get answers. Ask AppFlowy AI questions about your content and get answers in seconds - Find inspiration. AppFlowy AI uses the most advanced AI models such as GPT-4 and Claude 3 Sonnet - Be more productive. Use AI to generate the first draft, write better, check spelling and grammar, translate, extract keywords and insight, etc Fast performance, native experience, and privacy-oriented - 100% Offline Support: Work anytime, anywhere—no internet required - Self-Hosting: Keep your data under your control with easy self-hosting options - Lightning-Fast: Experience the speed of native performance on all devices - AppFlowy is open source: Benefit from a transparent, community-driven development process Team collaboration Whether you're a startup disrupting the market, a marketing team planning your next campaign, or a software development team practicing agile methodologies, AppFlowy adapts to your needs. - Invite team members to collaborate in the same workspace - Build a centralized knowledge base for your team - Project Planning: Map out your strategy and track progress - Task Management: Keep everyone aligned and productive - Meeting Organization: Plan, conduct, and follow up on meetings effectively - Goal Setting: Define and monitor team and company objectives - Agile Sprints: Plan and execute sprints with ease - Document Collaboration: Create, edit, and share documents in real-time Stay in sync anywhere, anytime - Create on the Go: Add tasks, notes, and updates from anywhere - Cross-Device Sync: Seamlessly transition between desktop and mobile - Offline Mode: Access and edit your work without an internet connection - Reminders: Set custom alerts for important events and deadlines Download AppFlowy now and revolutionize the way you work!

Screenshots

Notesnook4 screens
AppFlowy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Notesnook at 4.7 against AppFlowy's 4.2. Notesnook also leads on ratings volume (653 vs 32) and device support (3 vs 1). AppFlowy's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 20). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. AppFlowy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notesnook holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notesnook has 653 ratings behind it against 32, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 78% and 78% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notesnook ships an update weekly, AppFlowy every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Notesnook versus AppFlowy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotesnookAppFlowy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (653 ratings) — better4.2 (32 ratings)
Positive reviews78.2% of reviews78.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings653 — better32
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size89 MB208 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStreetwriters LLCAppFlowy

Customer experience

Notesnook

All ratings653 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral2.5%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews386 reviews
Positive78.2%
Neutral6.7%
Negative15.0%

AppFlowy

All ratings32 ratings
Positive78.1%
Neutral12.5%
Negative9.4%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral13.0%
Negative8.7%

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

AppFlowy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

AppFlowy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notesnook free?
Notesnook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is AppFlowy free?
AppFlowy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Notesnook or AppFlowy?
Notesnook is rated higher. Notesnook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 653 ratings, while AppFlowy averages 4.2 from 32 ratings.
Do Notesnook or AppFlowy have ads?
Neither Notesnook nor AppFlowy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notesnook or AppFlowy?
Notesnook ships an update weekly, and AppFlowy every 9 days. Most recently, Notesnook was updated on September 21, 2026 and AppFlowy on September 23, 2026.

Other comparisons