Filen vs PrivacyNotes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
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.
- Zero-knowledge encryption
- Markdown-native notes
- Task management
- Private journaling
- Offline functionality
- Cross-device sync
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PrivacyNotes is an end-to-end encrypted workspace for your notes, tasks, and journal. A 12-word recovery phrase, generated on your device, is the only key. Everything is encrypted before it leaves your phone, so no one, not even us, can read it. Three pillars, one private home: - Notes: fast and markdown-native, fully searchable, with note-links between them. - Tasks: capture and organize what you need to get done. - Journal: a quiet, private space for daily entries. Private by design: - Zero-knowledge encryption (XChaCha20-Poly1305). We store only ciphertext. - No trackers, no ads, no telemetry, ever. - Works offline; syncs encrypted across your devices. - No email or account required to start. Pro is a one-time purchase that unlocks unlimited devices, more encrypted storage, full note history, locked and PIN-protected notes, the mood and wellness suite, every color theme, and Zen mode. Your privacy is never the product. Privacy Policy: https://lifetimelabs.dev/privacy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: PrivacyNotes at 5.0 against Filen's 3.8. PrivacyNotes also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Filen's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (123 vs 1). 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
Both are free to download. PrivacyNotes sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Filen asks for nothing beyond the download.
PrivacyNotes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Filen has 123 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Filen ships an update fortnightly, PrivacyNotes every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Filen | PrivacyNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (123 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 47.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 123 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 103 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Filen Cloud Dienste UG (haftungsbeschraenkt) | Lifetime Labs LLC |
Customer experience
Filen
PrivacyNotes
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
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- 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
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- 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
Filen
No in-app purchases
PrivacyNotes
- 1 GB Encrypted Storage$4.991 Year
- 2 GB Encrypted Storage$8.991 Year
- 5 GB Encrypted Storage$17.991 Year
- PrivacyNotes Pro$49.99
