# Notesnook vs LinkBuddy

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: LinkBuddy at none against Notesnook's 20. LinkBuddy also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Notesnook's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (653 vs 1). 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. LinkBuddy asks for nothing beyond the download.

LinkBuddy 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 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Notesnook ships an update weekly, LinkBuddy every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notesnook | LinkBuddy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (653 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notesnook-private-notepad/id1544027013/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/linkbuddy-for-linkding/id6740408952/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **653** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 78.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 89 MB | 22 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) | [Peter To](https://appshunter.io/developer/1789801319) |

## 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


### LinkBuddy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/linkbuddy-for-linkding/id6740408952)

This is a free, open-source client for a self-hosted bookmark management service. It allows users to add, edit, archive, and search bookmarks, with support for a share sheet extension and an in-app browser. It's privacy-focused and ad-free.

**Highlights:** Add, edit, archive, delete bookmarks, Search bookmarks (active, archive, unread, untagged, shared), Share sheet extension for external app sharing, In-app browser with Safari Reader View, Dark and light mode themes, iPad compatible, Privacy focused and ad-free

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notesnook free?

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

### Is LinkBuddy free?

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

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

LinkBuddy is rated higher. Notesnook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 653 ratings, while LinkBuddy averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Notesnook or LinkBuddy have ads?

Neither Notesnook nor LinkBuddy shows ads.

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

Notesnook ships an update weekly, and LinkBuddy every 2 months. Most recently, Notesnook was updated on September 21, 2026 and LinkBuddy on June 1, 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.*