Comparison

Notesnook vs Privy

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

Privy

Features
Read full description

Privy is a private place for everything you write. Notes, journals, lists, ideas, the things you'd never put in a regular notes app. Write it all in one calm, beautiful space, then lock what matters behind your own key. Privacy isn't a setting you switch on. It's the default. No account, no login, no cloud you don't control. Your words live on your device, and the developer has zero access to them. WRITE ANYTHING Quick notes, long entries, daily journals, checklists, plans. Add photos, record a voice memo, or scan a document straight into a note. Rich text and reminders are built in. LOCK IT DOWN Protect the whole app with a passcode or Face ID, and seal individual notes behind their own password. Locked notes reveal nothing. Not a preview, not a title, not a word. A SPACE FOR EVERY PART OF LIFE Keep things in separate Vaults. Work, personal, health, travel, the private stuff. Each one is its own walled-off space, and you can give the sensitive ones their own password. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT There's nothing to sign up for and nothing to log into. Open the app and start writing. Your notes never leave your phone unless you choose to sync them through your own iCloud. MAKE IT YOURS Light, Dark, and a soft Pink theme. Choose your font and text size. Pin the notes you reach for most. CALM BY DESIGN No streaks, no badges, no pressure. Just a quiet place to think and keep what's yours. WHAT YOU CAN DO - Write notes, journals, and lists with rich text, photos, voice notes, and scans - Lock the app with a passcode or Face ID - Password-protect individual notes and entire vaults - Organize everything into separate, private vaults - Pin important notes to the top - Search everything in seconds - Export any note as text or PDF - Set gentle reminders - Three themes, multiple fonts and sizes YOUR DATA IS YOURS Privy is local-first. No accounts, no servers collecting your notes, no tracking. Optional sync uses your own private iCloud, so your notes move between your devices without ever passing through us. Write it down. Lock it up. Keep it private. PRIVY PRO A one-time purchase (no subscription) unlocks: unlimited vaults, a separate password for each vault, document scanning, PDF export, and the Light and Pink themes with accent colors. Everything else — writing, photos, voice notes, app lock, locking individual notes, and your first vault — is free. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://privy.northos.xyz/en/privacy

Screenshots

Notesnook4 screens
Privy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Notesnook at weekly against Privy's every 3 weeks. Notesnook also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, 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 Privy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notesnook ships an update weekly, Privy every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Notesnook versus Privy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotesnookPrivy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (653 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews78.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings653 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size89 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStreetwriters LLCMark Pernitsch

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

Privy

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
1 purchases

Privy

One-time1
  • Privy Pro$9.99

Questions

Is Notesnook free?
Notesnook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Privy free?
Privy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Notesnook or Privy have ads?
Neither Notesnook nor Privy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notesnook or Privy?
Notesnook ships an update weekly, and Privy every 3 weeks. Most recently, Notesnook was updated on October 2, 2026 and Privy on September 23, 2026.

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