Comparison

Notesnook vs Ace

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

Ace

Features
Read full description

Ace-Achieve It! is the daily task manager designed to make you feel great about getting things done. We built Ace with a simple philosophy: Focus on Today, Plan for Tomorrow. Unlike other apps that clutter your screen with overdue tasks and endless lists, Ace gives you a clean slate every morning and helps you "Clear the Deck" by the end of the day. WHY YOU'LL LOVE ACE: CAPTURE IDEAS INSTANTLY Got a thought but no time to plan? The Ideas tab lets you jot it down in seconds. Add subtasks and notes, then swipe right to turn it into a real task whenever you're ready. Your best ideas never slip away. AUTOMATE YOUR PERFECT WEEK Stop rewriting the same to-do list. Set tasks to repeat weekly, monthly, or yearly—Gym on Mondays, Rent on the 1st, Car MOT every December. Set it once, and Ace remembers for you. CONQUER COMPLEX GOALS Big project? Break it down. Our Subtasks feature lets you turn any task into a checklist. Complete steps one by one, keeping your main list clean and your focus sharp. NEVER MISS A BIRTHDAY Add your family and friends' birthdays, and Ace handles the countdown. You'll get automatic reminders: "7 days until Dad's birthday" that update daily. Turn on Birthday Notifications to get a push alert on the day itself at a time you choose. Be the person who always remembers. SWIPE TO TOMORROW Overwhelmed? Don't stress. Just swipe any task to the right to move it to Tomorrow. It instantly clears from your view so you can focus on what matters right now. PLAN FOR THE FUTURE Got an appointment next month? Schedule it now and forget about it. Set a reminder and Ace will send you a notification at the perfect time. Future tasks stay tucked away until they're relevant. INSTANT ROUTINES Create reusable Templates for your most common days. Morning Routine, Travel Packing, Weekly Review—load them all with a single tap. STUNNING WIDGETS Keep your goals front and centre. • Home Screen: Add tasks instantly and see your daily progress graph. • Lock Screen: Check your completion % without even unlocking your phone. SATISFYING ANIMATIONS We believe checking off a task should feel like a victory. Watch tasks smoothly slide to complete, enjoy our signature scoreboard roll animations, and celebrate when you hit 100%. ICLOUD SYNC Start a list on your iPhone and finish it on your iPad. Ace uses iCloud to keep your tasks safely backed up and perfectly synced across all your devices automatically. TRACK YOUR VICTORIES The dedicated History view preserves every task you've ever completed. See your lifetime stats and search past achievements in seconds. YOUR FOCUS, REIMAGINED. • "Clear the Deck" philosophy keeps you motivated • Beautiful Dark Mode that respects your eyes • Drag-and-drop reordering for effortless prioritising • Rapid inline task entry—add tasks without interruption • No sign-ups, no ads, no distractions Stop managing a list. Start achieving your goals. Download Ace-Achieve It! today and see how good productivity can feel.

Screenshots

Notesnook4 screens
Ace4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Notesnook at Free against Ace's $1.99. Notesnook also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.6). Ace's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 20). On update cadence, 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

Notesnook is free to download; Ace costs $1.99 up front. Notesnook sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Ace asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notesnook ships an update every 8 days, Ace weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Notesnook versus Ace: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotesnookAce
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.7 (672 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews78.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings672 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size96 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStreetwriters LLCJordan Marshall

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

Ace

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
None

Ace

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notesnook free?
Notesnook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ace free?
Ace costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Notesnook or Ace have ads?
Neither Notesnook nor Ace shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notesnook or Ace?
Notesnook ships an update every 8 days, and Ace weekly. Most recently, Notesnook was updated on October 18, 2026 and Ace on October 4, 2026.

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