# Notesnook vs MSD One

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Notesnook at 78% against MSD One's 0%. Notesnook also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (653 vs 7). MSD One's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 20). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

Notesnook holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notesnook has 653 ratings behind it against 7, 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 0% of MSD One's.

Notesnook ships an update weekly, MSD One every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and August 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notesnook | MSD One |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (653 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notesnook-private-notepad/id1544027013/reviews)** | [4.4 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/msd-one/id6474043630/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **653** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | **78.2% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 89 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Streetwriters LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1536533660) | [Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/718617686) |

## 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


### MSD One

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/msd-one/id6474043630)

Enhance hybrid and in-person events with interactive features. Attendees receive personalized agendas, travel updates, and venue info. Facilitate audience engagement through Q&A, polls, and a secure social media wall.

**Highlights:** Personalized agendas, Real-time travel updates, Moderated Q&A panel, Slide saving with annotations, Audience polling and gamification, Private social media wall

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notesnook free?

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

### Is MSD One free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Notesnook or MSD One?

Notesnook is rated higher. Notesnook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 653 ratings, while MSD One averages 4.4 from 7 ratings.

### Do Notesnook or MSD One have ads?

Neither Notesnook nor MSD One shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notesnook or MSD One?

Notesnook ships an update weekly, and MSD One every 8 months. Most recently, Notesnook was updated on September 21, 2026 and MSD One on August 27, 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.*