Comparison

Filen vs PrivacyNotes

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Filen

Securely store photos, videos, and documents with military-grade encryption. Access files on any device, share them easily, and enjoy features like offline access and encrypted notes. Offers a free tier with 10 GB storage.

Highlights
  • 10 GB free storage
  • Unlimited pro storage
  • Secure client-side encryption
  • Offline file access
  • Cross-device file access
  • Encrypted notes and chats
  • Automatic camera upload
Features
Read full description

Filen is everything you need for storing your photos, videos and documents secure and encrypted in the cloud. Get 10 GB storage for free when you create an account. Features: - Get 10 GB when you create an account - Get unlimited storage with our pro offerings - Easily share files with family, friends and colleagues, even if they are not Filen users - Military grade client sided AES 256 bit encryption, your files truly belong to you - only you - Make files available offline for easy access wherever, whenever - Stream and preview your photos, documents, images and audio files straight from the cloud - Access your files on every device - Encrypted notes - Encrypted chats - Clean, easy to use interface for easy file management - Dark mode available for those who work at night or just love the darker look! - Automatic camera upload - Share target - Files app integration Terms of service: https://filen.io/terms Privacy policy: https://filen.io/privacy

About

PrivacyNotes

Securely manage your notes, tasks, and journal with end-to-end encryption. This app ensures your data is private by design, with no trackers or ads. It works offline and syncs encrypted across your devices without requiring an account.

Highlights
  • Zero-knowledge encryption
  • Markdown-native notes
  • Task management
  • Private journaling
  • Offline functionality
  • Cross-device sync
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

Filen4 screens
PrivacyNotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PrivacyNotes at 100% against Filen's 48%. PrivacyNotes also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.8) and update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). Filen's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (126 vs 10). On price, ads, monetization model 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. PrivacyNotes sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Filen asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PrivacyNotes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Filen has 126 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Filen's written reviews are positive against 100% of PrivacyNotes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Filen ships an update fortnightly, PrivacyNotes every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Filen versus PrivacyNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFilenPrivacyNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (126 ratings)5.0 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews47.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings126 — better10
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size103 MB15 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperFilen Cloud Dienste UG (haftungsbeschraenkt)Lifetime Labs LLC

Customer experience

Filen

All ratings123 ratings
Positive65.9%
Neutral11.4%
Negative22.8%
Written reviews88 reviews
Positive47.7%
Neutral15.9%
Negative36.4%

PrivacyNotes

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Filen

Reported bugs

18 issues
  • App crashes when uploading photos/videos
  • Music pauses when app is minimized
  • Photo upload stuck at specific file counts (e.g., 42 photos)
  • Notes lose data during sync
  • Note type conversion deletes text content
Show 13 more
  • Video thumbnails not displaying correctly
  • Cannot open audio files in app
  • App stuck on opening screen
  • Login credentials not working on iOS despite working elsewhere
  • Upload progress not visible in latest update
  • File upload stalls at 'finishing' stage
  • Camera upload fails with VPN enabled
  • Rich text editor loses data on sync
  • Share public link toggle does nothing
  • Media not found error when uploading images
  • App unable to load albums page
  • Password reset link not sending
  • Automatic account deletion after inactivity

Requested features

12 requests
  • Video streaming/playback within app
  • Read-only file mode option
  • Back-sync feature (delete from phone, delete from cloud)
  • Multi-select file upload capability
  • iPad split-screen view support
Show 7 more
  • Shared folder system like Dropbox/Google Drive
  • Album-to-folder mapping for camera uploads
  • iOS Files app integration/mounting
  • Audio file playback within app
  • Dark mode following system settings
  • Magnetic link download support
  • Better gallery navigation and filtering

PrivacyNotes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Filen

No in-app purchases

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 Filen free?
Filen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PrivacyNotes free?
PrivacyNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Filen or PrivacyNotes?
PrivacyNotes is rated higher. Filen averages 3.8 out of 5 from 126 ratings, while PrivacyNotes averages 5.0 from 10 ratings.
Do Filen or PrivacyNotes have ads?
Neither Filen nor PrivacyNotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Filen or PrivacyNotes?
Filen ships an update fortnightly, and PrivacyNotes every 3 days. Most recently, Filen was updated on October 20, 2026 and PrivacyNotes on October 24, 2026.

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