Notesnook vs Handover
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
Handover
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Most focus apps feel like a strict boss standing over your shoulder. Handover is different. It doesn't lock your phone and throw away the key. It adds a small, deliberate cost to your biggest distractions. You are always in control. If you really need to get into an app, you can. It just costs you a bit of the streak you have been building. That one shift changes why you reach for your phone in the first place. SETTING UP A RULE TAKES FOUR CHOICES Choose what to block. Specific apps, or whole categories at once. Choose how to block. A total daily limit, a session length, or block them outright. Choose when it runs. On a schedule, when you arrive somewhere, or after a burst of heavy phone use. Choose your way back in. Earn it with a set number of steps, with quick reps the phone counts for you, by scanning a barcode you keep somewhere out of reach, with a breathing break, or with a short meditation. THE EXIT DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN Life happens. You are never truly locked out, and the essentials are never blocked: Calls, Messages, Maps, Camera and Wallet. Break Glass. Need in? Wait five minutes and it costs five minutes of your streak. Emergency Coupon. A real emergency? Use it any time, on anything. A rigid wall gets bypassed by lunchtime. A small, fair cost actually changes your habits. WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING A streak on your home screen that grows every day you stay on track. Themes that unlock as it grows, from sleek Steel on day one to Gold at day 14. Credits every time you move, breathe or meditate. Spend them on themes and new exercises. A referral code worth 1,000 credits to you and 1,000 to every friend who joins with it. PICK THE PLAN THAT FITS YOU Handover Free Up to 5 active rules. Core blocks and daily time budgets. Scheduled blocking periods. Break Glass on every rule. Handover Plus Unlimited rules and every block type unlocked. Triggers for a place you arrive at and for heavy use. Movement and step challenges as your way back in. Every theme, deep statistics and your full history. Individual, or a Family plan covering up to 6 people, each with their own rules, settings and streak. YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS Privacy comes first. Handover is built directly on Apple's Screen Time framework, which means the app never sees which apps you use or how long you use them, and none of that ever leaves your device. Only your account, your rules and your credits sync, so you keep your progress when you change phones. Handover is proudly built by Casebuddy Pty Ltd in Australia. Terms of Use: https://handover.tinkerlane.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://handover.tinkerlane.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
Notesnook and Handover are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Notesnook sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Handover sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Notesnook ships an update weekly, Handover every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Notesnook | Handover |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (653 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 78.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 653 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 8 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 89 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Streetwriters LLC | Casebuddy Pty Ltd |
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
Handover
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Notesnook
- Notesnook Pro$0.991 Month
- Notesnook Essential Plan7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Notesnook Pro$2.491 Month
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- 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
Handover
- Plus Monthly$3.991 Month
- Plus Family Monthly$6.991 Month
- Plus Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Plus Family Yearly7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Plus Lifetime$79.99
- Plus Family Lifetime$129.99









