Comparison

Notesnook vs PrivacyNotes

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

PrivacyNotes

Securely store notes, tasks, passwords, and files with end-to-end encryption. This app prioritizes user privacy, offering an open-source solution that works offline and syncs across devices without ads or trackers.

Highlights
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Offline functionality
  • Cross-device sync
  • Open-source
  • No ads or trackers
  • Password and file vault
  • Rich note editor
Features
Read full description

Your notes app knows everything about you. PrivacyNotes does not. Notes, tasks, calendar, journal and passwords, encrypted on your device. Not mined, not sold, not shown to anyone. WHY PEOPLE SWITCH - Always encrypted, on your phone and on the way to our servers in Switzerland - No ads, no trackers, no analytics. You are not the product - Open source: anyone can check what the app does - Sign up with a 12-word phrase instead of an email - Lock the app with Face ID or a PIN - Works offline, syncs across your devices EVERYTHING IN ONE PLACE - Notes: a rich editor, tags, links between notes, instant search - Tasks: every checkbox from every note, in one list - Calendar: events, repeats and birthdays, with reminders on Pro - Journal: track your mood, sleep and medication - Vault: passwords, cards and SSH keys - Files: photos, documents, audio and video - Bookmarks: your saved links, with their icons - Contacts: an address book that stays private BRING YOUR NOTES ALONG Import from Apple Notes, Evernote, Google Keep, Obsidian, Standard Notes, Joplin, Notesnook, UpNote, Samsung Notes and plain Markdown files. Export everything, any time. FREE FOREVER Free on 2 devices, with no time limit and no credit card. Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription: unlimited devices, 500 MB of encrypted storage, reminders, note history and more. ABOUT THE APP PRIVACY LABEL Apple asks us to list everything that can reach our server, even when it arrives encrypted. User Content is your notes, encrypted on your device. Identifiers are a key made from your recovery phrase and a device hash, not your name. Contact Info is an email, only if you sign in with Apple, Google or GitHub. Purchases is your Pro status. Nothing is shared, sold or used for ads. Privacy Policy: https://lifetimelabs.dev/privacy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Notesnook4 screens
PrivacyNotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PrivacyNotes at 5.0 against Notesnook's 4.7. PrivacyNotes also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 79%) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 8 days). Notesnook's advantage is ratings volume (696 vs 13) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.4). 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 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and PrivacyNotes sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PrivacyNotes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notesnook has 696 ratings behind it against 13, 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 PrivacyNotes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notesnook ships an update every 8 days, PrivacyNotes every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Notesnook versus PrivacyNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotesnookPrivacyNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (696 ratings)5.0 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings696 — better13
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.4
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStreetwriters LLCLifetime Labs LLC

Customer experience

Notesnook

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

PrivacyNotes

All ratings13 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 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

PrivacyNotes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Notesnook

Subscriptions8
  • Notesnook Essential Plan7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Notesnook Pro2 variants$4.491 Month
  • Notesnook Pro Plan7 Days trial$6.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Notesnook Believer Plan7 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Notesnook Essential Plan14 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro2 variants$49.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro Plan14 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Notesnook Believer Plan14 Days trial$89.991 Year
4 purchases

PrivacyNotes

Subscriptions3
  • 1 GB Encrypted Storage$4.991 Year
  • 2 GB Encrypted Storage$8.991 Year
  • 5 GB Encrypted Storage$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • PrivacyNotes Pro$49.99

Questions

Is Notesnook free?
Notesnook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PrivacyNotes free?
PrivacyNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notesnook or PrivacyNotes?
PrivacyNotes is rated higher. Notesnook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 696 ratings, while PrivacyNotes averages 5.0 from 13 ratings.
Do Notesnook or PrivacyNotes have ads?
Neither Notesnook nor PrivacyNotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notesnook or PrivacyNotes?
Notesnook ships an update every 8 days, and PrivacyNotes every 3 days. Most recently, Notesnook was updated on November 13, 2026 and PrivacyNotes on November 15, 2026.

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