# Locked Notes° vs Notes

The clearest difference is ads: Locked Notes° at none against Notes's shown. Locked Notes° also leads on ratings volume (365 vs 9) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). Notes's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Locked Notes° against 4.6 for Notes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Locked Notes° has 365 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of Locked Notes°'s written reviews are positive against 100% of Notes's.

Locked Notes° ships an update every 2 months, Notes weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Locked Notes° | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (365 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/locked-notes/id1596300698/reviews)** | [4.6 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-simple-notepad/id6760331456/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **365** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | 92.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 28 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Adam Cziko](https://appshunter.io/developer/1508288501) | [Stijn Aa](https://appshunter.io/developer/1782102905) |

## What reviewers say

### Locked Notes°

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/locked-notes/id1596300698)

Securely store your private thoughts and ideas with this app. It offers robust organization and advanced editing tools, all protected by biometric authentication for ultimate privacy. Your notes are automatically hidden and locked when the app is in the background.

**Highlights:** Biometric authentication (Face ID/Touch ID), Organize notes in folders, Search notes and folders, Advanced note editing, Automatic background hiding and locking

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🔒 Secure with face recognition
- 📁 Good folder organization
- ✍️ Customizable text formatting
- 🆓 Free premium access

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or data loss
- 📋 Limited copy/paste functionality
- 🔍 Lack of search option within notes
- 🌙 No dark mode option

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent face recognition
- Notes sometimes disappearing

**Requested features**

- Backup and restore functionality
- Password protection for individual notes
- Ability to select and edit specific text
- Cross-device syncing


### Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-simple-notepad/id6760331456)

Capture thoughts, reminders, and ideas in a secure, private space. Notes save automatically as you type, with fast search and optional biometric locking for your peace of mind. Organize with color-coding and choose from classic or modern themes.

**Highlights:** Automatic saving as you type, Biometric note locking (Face ID/fingerprint), Fast search across all notes, Color-coded organization, Lined paper mode, Modern and classic themes

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Locked Notes° free?

Locked Notes° is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Notes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Locked Notes° or Notes?

Locked Notes° is rated higher. Locked Notes° averages 4.7 out of 5 from 365 ratings, while Notes averages 4.6 from 9 ratings.

### Do Locked Notes° or Notes have ads?

Notes shows ads; Locked Notes° does not.

### Which is updated more often, Locked Notes° or Notes?

Locked Notes° ships an update every 2 months, and Notes weekly. Most recently, Locked Notes° was updated on September 22, 2026 and Notes on September 15, 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.*