Comparison

SideNotes Mobile vs Genius Vault

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SideNotes Mobile

Capture thoughts and to-dos on the go with this mobile note-taking app. It offers iCloud sync, Markdown formatting, and customizable themes for a personalized experience. Easily access notes from other applications.

Highlights
  • iCloud Synchronization
  • Markdown Formatting
  • Task Management
  • Customizable Themes
  • Note and Folder URLs
  • Note Colors
Features
Read full description

SideNotes Mobile is a fast notes app for iPhone and iPad. Capture notes, tasks, links, and snippets in seconds, then access them across devices with iCloud sync. Version 1.2 brings a major upgrade: - A new editor with hidden Markdown markup - the same as in SideNotes for macOS - Refreshed iOS 26-style interface (Liquid Glass look) - Note folding - Note & Folder pinning - Simple drag-and-drop reordering - New contextual menu - New formatting options - Add Note action for the iPhone Action Button - New translations: Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, and Spanish - UI polish, bug fixes, and quality improvements Core features: - iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac - Themes and note colors for personalization - Tasks and checklists for daily work - Folder organization and quick search - Note and folder URLs for fast access from other apps - Text settings for comfortable writing and reading - One-time purchase (paid per major version). No subscription. Note: SideNotes Mobile is a companion app to SideNotes for macOS. SideNotes for macOS is sold separately.

About

Genius Vault

Organize research notes, ideas, URLs, and code snippets in a centralized digital vault. Easily save, categorize, and retrieve information across your Apple devices. Perfect for students and researchers seeking focused organization.

Highlights
  • Store research notes and ideas
  • Save URLs, instructions, and code snippets
  • Detect and paste from clipboard
  • Highlight, favorite, and pin records
  • URL validation and direct linking
  • Cloud sync across Apple devices
  • 7-day record restore
Features
Read full description

Genius Vault is a powerful app that helps you store and organise all your research project notes and ideas in one place. With Genius Vault, you can easily save information, URLs, instructions, and snippets of code or text. A VAULT of project data that can help you keep your mind in focus but not overloaded. Need a better way to Group and store useful data or research, Genius Vault is here to help. The app is available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, so you can access your notes from anywhere. Whether you're a student, researcher, or just someone who likes to keep their ideas organised, Genius Vault is the perfect tool for you. Features *Ability to detect text and urls from clipboard when you open the app and paste them into new records *highlight, favourite, and pin records * Url validation check URLs that are saved are complete urls. *quickly jump to the url by tapping on the links *copy snippets of text to the clipboard from the app to easily smoothen your workflow *syncs in cloud between iPhone, iPad and Apple silicon Macs *delete records and restore them within 7 days Search through your ideas, urls, instructions and snippets

Screenshots

SideNotes Mobile4 screens
Genius Vault4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Genius Vault at Free against SideNotes Mobile's $9.99. Genius Vault also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.2). SideNotes Mobile's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (29 vs 1). On update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Genius Vault is free to download; SideNotes Mobile costs $9.99 up front. Genius Vault sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. SideNotes Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Genius Vault holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SideNotes Mobile has 29 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SideNotes Mobile ships an update monthly, Genius Vault every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
SideNotes Mobile versus Genius Vault: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSideNotes MobileGenius Vault
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (29 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews88.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings29 — better1
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperApptoriumOliver Rider

Customer experience

SideNotes Mobile

All ratings28 ratings
Positive82.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative17.9%
Written reviews43 reviews
Positive88.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.6%

Genius Vault

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

SideNotes Mobile

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Genius Vault

One-time2
  • Buy me a coffee$1.99
  • Unlock Pro Access$2.99

Questions

Is SideNotes Mobile free?
SideNotes Mobile costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Genius Vault free?
Genius Vault is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SideNotes Mobile or Genius Vault?
Genius Vault is rated higher. SideNotes Mobile averages 4.2 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while Genius Vault averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do SideNotes Mobile or Genius Vault have ads?
Neither SideNotes Mobile nor Genius Vault shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SideNotes Mobile or Genius Vault?
SideNotes Mobile ships an update monthly, and Genius Vault every 6 weeks. Most recently, SideNotes Mobile was updated on October 25, 2026 and Genius Vault on October 7, 2026.

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