Comparison

Notesnook vs Mailbird

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

Mailbird

Manage all your email accounts from a single, beautifully designed inbox. Features include unified handling of multiple providers, customizable swipes for quick actions, and powerful search and filtering tools.

Highlights
  • Unified inbox for all accounts
  • Customizable swipe actions
  • Snooze emails for later
  • Advanced filters and search
  • Powerful email editor
  • Centralized attachment management
  • Customizable themes and layouts
Features
Read full description

In Mailbird every feature is crafted for your flow, with pixel-perfect design, privacy, smooth performance, and powerful tools to help you work smarter: - Unified Inbox: Handle all your accounts in one place. Works with Gmail, Outlook, Exchange, Yahoo, iCloud, and any IMAP account. - Beautifully Designed: Every icon, layout, and transition designed for iPhone. - Privacy & Security: Connect directly to your email provider. Your messages and passwords never pass through Mailbird servers. - Swipe to Triage: File emails to To Do, To Read, or Archive with a single swipe, and choose what each swipe does. - Snooze: Put an email away until later today, tomorrow, next week, or a time you pick. - Filters & Search: Jump to unread, starred, or emails with attachments, create your own filters, and search all your mail. - Powerful Email Editor: Clean and focused, with signatures built in and undo send. - Attachments in One Place: Browse, sort, and clean up the files you've downloaded. - Make It Yours: Light and dark mode, nine color themes, three list layouts, and a toolbar you arrange yourself. Join millions of professionals who’ve rated Mailbird 5-stars. Terms of Service: https://goto.getmailbird.com/wc Privacy Policy: https://goto.getmailbird.com/wd

Screenshots

Notesnook4 screens
Mailbird4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Notesnook at 79% against Mailbird's 25%. Notesnook also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (686 vs 4). Mailbird's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 and Mailbird sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $34.49 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notesnook holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notesnook has 686 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Notesnook's written reviews are positive against 25% of Mailbird's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notesnook ships an update every 8 days, Mailbird every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Notesnook versus Mailbird: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotesnookMailbird
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (686 ratings) — better4.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings686 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB550 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperStreetwriters LLCMailbird, Inc.

Customer experience

Notesnook

All ratings681 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral2.3%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews402 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral6.5%
Negative14.7%

Mailbird

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative75.0%

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

Mailbird

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
2 purchases

Mailbird

Subscriptions1
  • Premium – Yearly Plan$34.491 Year
One-time1
  • Premium – One-Time$159.00

Questions

Is Notesnook free?
Notesnook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mailbird free?
Mailbird is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notesnook or Mailbird?
Notesnook is rated higher. Notesnook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 686 ratings, while Mailbird averages 4.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Notesnook or Mailbird have ads?
Neither Notesnook nor Mailbird shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notesnook or Mailbird?
Notesnook ships an update every 8 days, and Mailbird every 2 weeks. Most recently, Notesnook was updated on October 27, 2026 and Mailbird on October 28, 2026.

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