# Desk vs Benchpad

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Desk at none against Benchpad's 1. Benchpad's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 28 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Benchpad sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. Desk asks for nothing beyond the download.

Desk ships an update every 28 months, Benchpad fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Desk | Benchpad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/desk-notes-to-dos-and-more/id1595424119/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1** | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 28 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 40 MB | 113 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Chris Parcel](https://appshunter.io/developer/867322067) | [Gagandeep Singh](https://appshunter.io/developer/1864104544) |

## What reviewers say

### Desk

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/desk-notes-to-dos-and-more/id1595424119)

A secure and straightforward application designed to be a central hub for your personal data. It focuses on simplicity and safety, with more features planned for future updates.

**Highlights:** Simple data management, Secure data storage, Future feature development

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Benchpad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/benchpad-scratchpad-notes/id6766779528)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Benchpad Pro | $9.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Desk free?

Desk is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Benchpad free?

Benchpad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Desk or Benchpad have ads?

Neither Desk nor Benchpad shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Desk or Benchpad?

Desk ships an update every 28 months, and Benchpad fortnightly. Most recently, Desk was updated on October 22, 2026 and Benchpad on October 14, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*