Comparison

Notesnook vs Synctrain

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

Synctrain

Securely synchronize files and folders between your devices. Stream audio and video directly from other devices. Manage file sharing permissions to control access to your data.

Highlights
  • Secure file synchronization
  • Full folder synchronization
  • Specific file selection
  • Audio and video streaming
  • Cross-device file mirroring
  • Customizable sharing permissions
Features
Read full description

With Synctrain you can securely synchronize files with other devices that have Syncthing installed. You can choose to synchronize full folders, or choose specific files. With Synctrain you can also stream audio and video files from other devices. When you synchronize files, all changes, including deleting files, also happen on your other devices. Do not use Synctrain for back-up purposes, and always keep a back-up of your data. You decide with which devices you share which files. This also means the app makers cannot help you access or recover any lost files. This app is powered by Syncthing. This app is however not associated with or endorsed by Syncthing nor its developers. Please do not expect support from the Syncthing developers. Instead, contact the maker of this app if you have questions.

Screenshots

Notesnook4 screens
Synctrain4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Synctrain at none against Notesnook's 20. Synctrain also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (91% vs 78%). Notesnook's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (653 vs 123). On price, 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. Synctrain asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Synctrain holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notesnook has 653 ratings behind it against 123, 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 91% of Synctrain's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notesnook ships an update weekly, Synctrain every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Notesnook versus Synctrain: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotesnookSynctrain
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (653 ratings)4.9 (123 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.2% of reviews91.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings653 — better123
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size89 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStreetwriters LLCT-Shaped

Customer experience

Notesnook

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

Synctrain

All ratings123 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral1.6%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews89 reviews
Positive91.0%
Neutral5.6%
Negative3.4%

User reviews

Notesnook

From 653 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

Synctrain

From 123 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 🚀 Seamless sync between devices
  • 🔓 Open-source and free
  • 💡 Integrates with iOS Files app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional connection issues
  • 🔍 Could use more Apple-like design

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

Synctrain

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional app crashes
  • Sync delays on some devices

Requested features

2 requests
  • Direct photo/video sync to remote devices
  • Faster initial connection to server

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

Synctrain

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notesnook free?
Notesnook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Synctrain free?
Synctrain is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Notesnook or Synctrain?
Synctrain is rated higher. Notesnook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 653 ratings, while Synctrain averages 4.9 from 123 ratings.
Do Notesnook or Synctrain have ads?
Neither Notesnook nor Synctrain shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notesnook or Synctrain?
Notesnook ships an update weekly, and Synctrain every 6 weeks. Most recently, Notesnook was updated on September 21, 2026 and Synctrain on September 24, 2026.

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