Comparison

Notesnook vs TagSpaces

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

TagSpaces

Features
Read full description

TagSpaces is a private, offline file organizer and note-taking app. Browse, tag, and find your documents, photos, notes, and PDFs — all kept on your device or in your own iCloud Drive. No account, no sign-up, no cloud lock-in, and no tracking. Most apps push your files into someone else's cloud. TagSpaces does the opposite: your data stays yours, in plain files and folders you fully control, readable with or without the app. Organize with tags • Add tags directly into filenames or store them in sidecar files • Group and color your tags for fast visual sorting • Works across all your folders — no proprietary database Find anything, fast • Search by name or tags with fuzzy matching • Filter and narrow down large folders in seconds Notes & to-dos • Create notes in plain text, Markdown, or HTML • Keep simple task lists with the built-in editor View your media • Open images, PDFs, audio, and video right in the app • Preview and manage documents without extra tools Private and offline by design • 100% offline — no internet connection required • No ads, no analytics, no accounts • Your files live on your device and in your iCloud Drive, and integrate with the iOS Files app Open source you can trust The TagSpaces core is open source (AGPL), so anyone can verify how it handles your data. TagSpaces Pro Unlock advanced features with an in-app purchase, including downloading and clipping web pages and files from a URL, and more power tools for your workflow. Part of a cross-platform suite TagSpaces is also available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and the web — organize the same folders everywhere, your way. Take back control of your files. Download TagSpaces and turn your phone into a private, offline home for everything that matters.

Screenshots

Notesnook4 screens
TagSpaces4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Notesnook at every 8 days against TagSpaces's every 3 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Notesnook sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and TagSpaces 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 every 8 days, TagSpaces every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Notesnook versus TagSpaces: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotesnookTagSpaces
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (672 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews78.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings672 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size96 MB219 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStreetwriters LLCTagSpaces GmbH

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

TagSpaces

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

TagSpaces

One-time1
  • TagSpaces Pro$29.99

Questions

Is Notesnook free?
Notesnook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TagSpaces free?
TagSpaces is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Notesnook or TagSpaces have ads?
Neither Notesnook nor TagSpaces shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notesnook or TagSpaces?
Notesnook ships an update every 8 days, and TagSpaces every 3 weeks. Most recently, Notesnook was updated on October 13, 2026 and TagSpaces on October 12, 2026.

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