Side Notes vs Supernotes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Side Notes
This app helps you organize thoughts by viewing multiple notes simultaneously. It offers layouts for comparing options, conducting analyses, or structuring complex ideas. Focus on your thinking with a clean, intuitive interface and privacy-focused design.
- Side-by-side note viewing
- Multiple layout options (Dual, Four, Single)
- Visual comparison of ideas
- SWOT analysis and Eisenhower Matrix support
- Rich text editing
- Offline functionality
- Export notes as PDF or text
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See both sides of every decision at once. Side Notes shows several notes on one screen, so your pros and cons, two options or a SWOT analysis sit side by side instead of hiding in separate lists. Pick a template, start typing, and compare at a glance. Free, with no ads and no account. START FAST WITH TEMPLATES • Pros & Cons: two columns, one clearer answer • Option A vs Option B: compare two choices side by side • SWOT analysis: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in one grid • Eisenhower matrix: sort tasks by urgent and important • Retrospective: went well, to improve, ideas, actions • Blank board: any layout, your own structure THREE LAYOUTS FOR THE WAY YOU THINK • Dual: two notes side by side • Four: a 2x2 grid for matrices and frameworks • Single: one full note when you need room to write Tap any note to edit it full screen, then swipe to move to the next one. MADE FOR REAL DECISIONS Should you take the job offer? Which apartment, which laptop, which city? Put every argument where you can see it. Run a SWOT on a business idea or a career move, plan your week with the Eisenhower matrix, and close a project or a sprint with a retrospective. ON ALL YOUR DEVICES, NO SIGN UP Your boards sync with iCloud across iPhone, iPad and Mac. There is no account to create and nothing to log in to. WRITE, THEN FIND IT AGAIN • Rich text formatting such as bold and italic (iOS 26 and later) • Word count on every note • Search board titles and note content, filter by Today or This week • Swipe to duplicate or delete a board, or long press for more options SHARE YOUR THINKING Export any board as a PDF or share it as text, ready for a meeting, a teammate or your future self. MAKE IT YOURS Light or dark mode and the Ink accent color, with Brick, Forest and Ocean in Side Notes Plus. A calm, paper-like design with serif titles. GREAT ON IPAD AND MAC More room to see every note at once, plus keyboard shortcuts on iPad and Mac (Apple silicon). Fully translated into 34 languages and redesigned for the latest iOS with Liquid Glass. GO FURTHER WITH SIDE NOTES PLUS Everything above stays free. Side Notes Plus is an optional upgrade for when you want more: • Advanced templates: weighted decision matrix, OKR, weekly review, 5 whys • Your own templates: save any board as a template • Lock a board with Face ID or Touch ID • All accent colors: Brick, Forest and Ocean • Markdown export to Notion, Obsidian or any editor Choose a yearly plan with a 1-week free trial, a monthly plan, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Side Notes is free, with no ads and no account. Just a clear space to think things through. Side Notes Plus is an optional auto-renewable subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account; it renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://side-notes.app/en/privacy
Supernotes
Organize your thoughts and ideas with a fast, lightweight note-taking app. Create visually rich notecards with Markdown and LaTeX support, enhanced by AI writing assistance. Build interconnected knowledge networks and share them seamlessly.
- Shareable Markdown notecards
- AI writing assistance
- Bi-directional card linking
- 2D/3D graph visualization
- Spaced repetition flashcards
- Real-time collaboration
- Offline support
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Free your thoughts with Supernotes, the fast, lightweight notes app. Write beautiful notecards that are perfect for personal, work, and educational use – all your ideas, meeting, and lecture notes at your fingertips. CREATE NOTECARDS THAT POP Tired of scrolling up and down long notes? Break down your ideas with Supernotes notecards – keeping you organized. Add colors, tasks, bold, italics, lists, equations, images, code snippets, and more. Want more? Connect a bluetooth keyboard, and harness the full extent of our Markdown and LaTeX editor. POWER UP WITH AI Try our thoughtful approach to AI. We call them Superpowers that help automate arduous tasks, such as tagging your cards, as well as train you to become a better writer, highlighting grammatical errors and offering rewording suggestions. ORGANIZE YOUR KNOWLEDGE Categorize your notecards using tags, reference popular cards with card links, and pop related notecards inside a parent card to build a network of interconnected knowledge. Multi-select, and edit notes in bulk, in the Table layout. Visualize your notes in both 2D and 3D graph layouts, helping you discover existing and new connections. Build your dream Zettelkasten system. REMEMBER WHERE YOU WROTE THEM Only on Supernotes, view all your notecards on a geographic Map. Opt-in to location sharing to automatically assign locations to notes when you create them to see where you had the most inspiring ideas or the most meetings! Or manually assign locations for trips, restaurant recommendations and more. BUILT-IN SPACED REPETITION Jump into Flashcard layout to instantly learn any of your notecards. Using our FSRS algorithm, cram your notes before an exam or learn them at a relaxed pace. We will show which notecards are due at the right times so you can learn as efficiently as possible. SHARE WITH FRIENDS Stop taking screenshots of notes – just share a notecard to generate a secure link. That note will be instantly accessible to anyone (even if they don't have Supernotes)! Add friends, classmates, or teammates on Supernotes to instantly share new notecards with each other, and see each other's cursors editing in real time. ON ALL YOUR DEVICES, OFFLINE OR ONLINE Pick up where you left off with our iPhone, iPad, and Mac apps. Keep taking notes wherever you are, even if your connection drops, with seamless offline support. FEATURE COMPLETE - Universal Search & Filters - Markdown / LaTeX Editor - Bi-directional Card Links - Calendar Heatmap - Assign Dates to Notes - Four Day & Night Themes - Share to Supernotes Extension - Export to Markdown, JSON & PNG - Keyboard Shortcuts - 24/7 Customer Support FREE FOR LIGHTWEIGHT USE Discover everything Supernotes has to offer with our generous free Starter plan; explore all the features and earn 100s cards. Or upgrade to the Unlimited plan for unlimited cards, feature previews, and more. Prices may differ depending on your location, and subscriptions will be charged to your App Store payment method. Your subscription will automatically renew and you may cancel at any time. Privacy Policy: https://supernotes.app/privacy Terms & Conditions: https://supernotes.app/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Supernotes at 4.8 against Side Notes's 3.9. Supernotes also leads on review sentiment (91% vs 57%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). Side Notes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On price, ads 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. Supernotes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $11.00 per month. Side Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.
Supernotes holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Supernotes has 122 ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Side Notes's written reviews are positive against 91% of Supernotes's.
Side Notes ships an update every 2 months, Supernotes monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Side Notes | Supernotes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (22 ratings) | 4.8 (122 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | 90.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 22 | 122 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 106 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Straw Technologies | Supernotes |
Customer experience
Side Notes
Supernotes
Bugs and requests
Side Notes
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Supernotes
Reported bugs
2 issues- Blank white screen on app/web browser
- App doesn't work on iOS 15.4.1
Requested features
6 requests- iOS widgets for home and lock screens
- Alert for note space limit and prompt to edit/continue as journal entry
- Better image and video viewing
- Control center button
- Split screen functionality
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- Ability to create groups or collections of notes
In-app purchases
Side Notes
No in-app purchases
Supernotes
- Supernotes Unlimited (1 Month)$11.001 Month
- Supernotes Unlimited (Promo)7 Days trial$69.001 Year
- Supernotes Unlimited (1 Year)$99.001 Year









