Comparison

Notesnook vs MuseView

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

MuseView

A local-first reader for Markdown and HTML files on iPhone and iPad. Offers clean formatting, multiple reading themes, and source view. Includes live editing, PDF export, and AI summaries for enhanced productivity.

Highlights
  • Clean, auto-rendered formatting
  • Six reading themes
  • Source view toggle
  • Auto-generated table of contents
  • Full-text search
  • Live editing with preview
  • AI summaries
  • PDF export
Features
Read full description

MuseView is a local-first reader for Markdown and HTML on your iPhone. Open the app and start reading — no account required. Reading • Clean, auto-rendered formatting for headings, tables, lists, blockquotes, and code blocks • Six reading themes — Original, Quiet, Paper, Bold, Calm, and Focus • Switch to source view in one tap • Auto-generated table of contents for quick navigation in long documents • Full-text search with instant highlighting MuseView Go • Live editing with real-time preview • Export PDFs that match your current reading theme • AI summaries: extract key points, action items, and tags with one tap Privacy First • Files stay on your device by default — read offline, anytime • Your content only leaves your device when you use AI summaries Whether you're reading technical docs, organizing notes, previewing blog drafts, or exporting meeting minutes, MuseView keeps your reading experience focused and distraction-free. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Notesnook4 screens
MuseView3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Notesnook at 683 against MuseView's 1. Notesnook also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). MuseView's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (100% vs 79%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 MuseView sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MuseView holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notesnook has 683 ratings behind it against 1, 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 100% of MuseView's.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Notesnook versus MuseView: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotesnookMuseView
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (683 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings683 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 8 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStreetwriters LLC有健 李

Customer experience

Notesnook

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

MuseView

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

MuseView

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

MuseView

Subscriptions1
  • MuseView Go$0.991 Month
One-time1
  • Edit & Export$0.99

Questions

Is Notesnook free?
Notesnook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MuseView free?
MuseView is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notesnook or MuseView?
MuseView is rated higher. Notesnook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 683 ratings, while MuseView averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Notesnook or MuseView have ads?
Neither Notesnook nor MuseView shows ads.

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