Jottre vs Menu Bar Notes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Jottre
A minimalist handwriting app designed for iPad with Apple Pencil. It allows users to write notes and convert them into various file formats. Seamlessly sync your notes across iPad, iPhone, and Mac.
- Minimalist handwriting interface
- Apple Pencil support
- iCloud synchronization
- Export to PDF, JPG, PNG
- Dark/light mode support
- SplitView and Multi-Window support
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Jottre is a simple canvas for handwritten notes and sketches. Write freely with Apple Pencil on iPad, or use your finger on iPhone. Notes sync automatically across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac with iCloud. When you're ready to share, export as PDF, JPG, or PNG.
Menu Bar Notes
Quickly capture thoughts, edit them across devices, and organize with markdown blocks and tabs. Notes sync privately via iCloud, with a 30-day trash recovery option. No accounts or data collection required.
- Block editor with markdown shortcuts
- Collapsible toggle blocks
- Tabbed notes with keyboard navigation
- iCloud sync across devices
- Menu bar quick capture on Mac
- 30-day trash recovery
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Easily reach into your menubar to quickly jot down a thought or reference, edit it on your synced iPhone and iPad app with your private iCloud keeping every device in step. No accounts or signups are needed and no data is collected. I always wanted a simple tool like this and I hope someone else finds it useful. On Mac, it sits in your menu bar. Click the icon or press ⌥⌘N from any app to open your notes, and click the icon again or press Esc to put them away. On iPhone and iPad, it's a clean, touch-first editor that stays out of your way. Markdown Style Blocks Every note is built from blocks: text, headings, collapsible toggles, to-dos with checkboxes, and code. Type shortcuts like "# ", "> ", or "[] " at the start of a line and the block transforms as you write. Toggles nest without limit, so a quick list can grow into a real outline. Browser Style Tabs Notes are tabs. Switch with ⌘1–⌘9, open a new note with ⌘T, close one with ⌘W. Privately Sync over iCloud- No Account Needed iCloud sync keeps iPhone, iPad, and Mac in step automatically. No account to create, no subscription — your notes live in your personal, private iCloud. Forgiving By Design Deleted notes and blocks go to the Trash, where they can be restored for 30 days. FEATURES • Block editor: text, Heading 1 and 2, toggles, to-dos, and code • Markdown-style shortcuts for instant block transforms • Collapsible toggle blocks with unlimited nesting • Duplicate any block along with its children • Menu bar quick capture on Mac, with a global ⌥⌘N (Option-Command-N) hotkey • Tabbed notes with full keyboard navigation on Mac • iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac • 30-day Trash with restore • No accounts, no tracking, no data collection Menu Notes stores your notes on your device and syncs them through your own private iCloud database. We can't read them, and we wouldn't want to.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Menu Bar Notes at 5.0 against Jottre's 4.8. Jottre's advantage is ratings volume (5 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Menu Bar Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Jottre has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Jottre ships an update every 3 weeks, Menu Bar Notes every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Jottre | Menu Bar Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (5 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | A Lorani | Olamide Ojumu |
Customer experience
Jottre
Menu Bar Notes
In-app purchases
Jottre
No in-app purchases
Menu Bar Notes
No in-app purchases









