SideNotes Mobile vs Scratchpad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- iCloud Synchronization
- Markdown Formatting
- Task Management
- Customizable Themes
- Note and Folder URLs
- Note Colors
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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.
Scratchpad
Capture fleeting thoughts and ideas instantly with a clean, distraction-free interface. This lightweight app offers quick drafting, word counts, and iCloud sync for seamless access across devices. It's designed for simplicity and speed, making note-taking effortless.
- Distraction-free interface
- Lightning-fast and lightweight
- iCloud sync
- Word and character count
- Linkifies URLs
- Shortcuts and share sheet support
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Capture your thoughts instantly in a single, always-accessible note. Perfect for brain dumps, quick drafts, one-off jots, and fleeting ideas. Your thoughts are just a tap away. • Clean, distraction-free interface • Lightning-fast and lightweight • Sync with iCloud, or not • Word and character count • Font settings • Linkifies URLs • Support for Shortcuts and share sheet Plain text only. Simple by design.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Scratchpad at 4.8 against SideNotes Mobile's 4.2. Scratchpad also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly) and device support (4 vs 2). SideNotes Mobile's advantage is price ($9.99 vs $12.00) and iOS requirement (17 vs 26.0). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
SideNotes Mobile costs $9.99 and Scratchpad $12.00 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Scratchpad holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 28 and 25 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of SideNotes Mobile's written reviews are positive against 96% of Scratchpad's.
SideNotes Mobile ships an update monthly, Scratchpad every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SideNotes Mobile | Scratchpad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 — better | $12.00 |
| Rating | 4.2 (28 ratings) | 4.8 (25 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 88.4% of reviews | 96.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 28 — better | 25 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 17 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Apptorium | Sindre Sorhus |
Customer experience
SideNotes Mobile
Scratchpad
In-app purchases
SideNotes Mobile
No in-app purchases
Scratchpad
No in-app purchases
