Side Notes vs MagicWiki
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
MagicWiki
Build a personal knowledge network with this note-taking app. Connect ideas through wiki-style linking, organize with smart tags, and access content easily with powerful search. Supports markdown, images, and a distraction-free interface.
- Wiki-style linking
- Smart tag suggestions
- Daily journal with calendar
- Markdown and image support
- Powerful search functionality
- Offline data storage
- iCloud sync
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Create and organize your thoughts, ideas, and knowledge in a beautiful and interconnected personal wiki. MagicWiki is a powerful yet simple note-taking app that helps you build your own knowledge network. Key Features: • Wiki-style Linking: Connect your thoughts naturally by linking between articles • Smart Tags: Organize articles with tags and get intelligent tag suggestions based on content • Favorites: Keep important articles easily accessible • Daily Journal: Built-in journaling with a calendar view • Markdown Support: Format your content with simple markdown syntax • Image Support: Add and resize images within your articles • Powerful Search: Find articles by title, content, or tags • Clean Interface: Distraction-free writing and reading experience • Dark Mode Support: Comfortable viewing day and night Perfect for: • Personal knowledge management • Project documentation • Research notes • Daily journaling • Writing and brainstorming • Building your second brain MagicWiki works completely offline and your data stays on your device. No account or subscription required. iCloud sync available. Start building your personal knowledge base today with MagicWiki.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Side Notes at Free against MagicWiki's $4.99. Side Notes also leads on ratings volume (22 vs 1). MagicWiki's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 57%) and rating (5.0 vs 3.9). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
Side Notes is free to download; MagicWiki costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
MagicWiki holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Side Notes has 22 ratings behind it against 1, 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 100% of MagicWiki's.
Side Notes ships an update every 2 months, MagicWiki every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Side Notes | MagicWiki |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 3.9 (22 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 22 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Straw Technologies | Manicgrin Media Ltd |
Customer experience
Side Notes
MagicWiki
In-app purchases
Side Notes
No in-app purchases
MagicWiki
No in-app purchases









