# Notesnook vs Chronos Authenticator

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chronos Authenticator at none against Notesnook's 20. Chronos Authenticator also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 78%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Notesnook's advantage is ratings volume (653 vs 3) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

Chronos Authenticator holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notesnook has 653 ratings behind it against 3, 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 100% of Chronos Authenticator's.

Notesnook ships an update weekly, Chronos Authenticator every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notesnook | Chronos Authenticator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (653 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notesnook-private-notepad/id1544027013/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chronos-authenticator/id6503929490/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **653** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 78.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 89 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Streetwriters LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1536533660) | [Joel-David Wong](https://appshunter.io/developer/1750409239) |

## 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


### Chronos Authenticator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chronos-authenticator/id6503929490)

This open-source app provides secure two-factor authentication using time-based and counter-based methods. It offers end-to-end encryption for token data and optional iCloud backup and sync for convenience. Easily import and export your authentication tokens.

**Highlights:** Open-source, End-to-end encrypted token storage, Optional iCloud backup and sync, Token export and import, Anonymous usage (no account required)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notesnook free?

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

### Is Chronos Authenticator free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Notesnook or Chronos Authenticator?

Chronos Authenticator is rated higher. Notesnook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 653 ratings, while Chronos Authenticator averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Notesnook or Chronos Authenticator have ads?

Neither Notesnook nor Chronos Authenticator shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notesnook or Chronos Authenticator?

Notesnook ships an update weekly, and Chronos Authenticator every 6 days. Most recently, Notesnook was updated on September 29, 2026 and Chronos Authenticator on September 16, 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.*