Comparison

Hi Sticky vs FirstSeed Notes

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

Head to head
About

Hi Sticky

Capture ideas instantly with a fast, visual sticky notes app. Organize thoughts with customizable fonts, backgrounds, and interactive checklists. Sync seamlessly across all your Apple devices with iCloud.

Highlights
  • Fast, distraction-free note editor
  • Visual note previews
  • Interactive checklists
  • iCloud sync across Apple devices
  • Widgets for home screen
  • Customizable fonts and backgrounds
Features
Read full description

Hi Sticky is a fast, visual sticky notes app for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. Capture an idea instantly, create a checklist, and keep every note synced with iCloud. Open Hi Sticky and start writing. Give each note its own font and background, recognize it at a glance in the visual note list, and keep Favorites above every sort order. Search across all notes or find matching text inside the note you are reading. On Mac, open notes in separate windows and keep important notes above other apps. On iPhone and iPad, use the controls above the keyboard to format text, manage lists, move the cursor, and copy or paste faster. Key Features - Fast, distraction-free note editor - Bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough formatting - Bulleted and numbered lists - Interactive checklists - Visual note previews with each note's font and background - Search across notes and Find in Note - Favorites that stay at the top - iCloud sync across Apple devices - Single-note and note-list widgets - Actions for Shortcuts and Siri - Link management - Multiple note windows with an always-on-top option on Mac - Support for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro Hi Sticky+ Unlock more ways to personalize Hi Sticky across your devices with a single one-time purchase. - Additional fonts and background colors - Adjustable font sizes - Custom app accent colors - More app icons - Customizable buttons above the iPhone and iPad keyboard - Advanced widget settings - Family Sharing support Hi Sticky was previously known as Notes SE.

About

FirstSeed Notes

Capture thoughts, organize with notebooks and tags, and transform them into actionable ideas. Record audio, get AI-powered transcripts and summaries, and collaborate in real-time. Syncs across devices via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Markdown editor with smart formatting
  • Audio recording and AI transcription
  • AI-powered summarization and action items
  • Notebooks, sections, and tag organization
  • Real-time collaboration and sharing
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Export notes as Markdown or PDF
Features
Read full description

FirstSeed Notes is a beautifully designed notes app that helps you capture your thoughts and turn them into ideas you can build on. Write down what's on your mind, organize it with notebooks and tags, and come back to it anytime. From quick notes and to-do lists to meeting recordings and study notes, FirstSeed Notes keeps your thinking and your plans in one place. Write Comfortably - A clean, simple editor that's easy to use every day - Markdown support and smart formatting - Add tables, equations, images, and links - Adjust font size and line spacing to suit your style - See character, word, and line counts at a glance - Export notes as Markdown or PDF Stay Organized - Organize notes with notebooks, sections, and tags - Keep important notes close with Favorites - Jump back to recent notes instantly - Manage tasks with to-do lists - Highlight key sentences and review them all in one place Record and Summarize - Record audio and get a transcript automatically - Turn transcripts into summaries, meeting minutes, action items, study notes, and more with AI AI Agent - Just ask the AI Agent to find, organize, tag, and move your notes Sync and Share - Sync your notes across your devices with iCloud - Share a single note or an entire notebook and edit together in real time - Invited members can join for free Your notes are synced and shared through iCloud. Some features require a subscription or a lifetime purchase. About Subscription: Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. Terms of Use: https://firstseed.io/terms.html

Screenshots

Hi Sticky4 screens
FirstSeed Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: FirstSeed Notes at 5.0 against Hi Sticky's 4.6. Hi Sticky's advantage is ratings volume (44 vs 1) and device support (5 vs 3). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

Both are free to download. Hi Sticky sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and FirstSeed Notes sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

FirstSeed Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hi Sticky has 44 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of Hi Sticky's written reviews are positive against 72% of FirstSeed Notes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hi Sticky ships an update weekly, FirstSeed Notes every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 7, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Hi Sticky versus FirstSeed Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHi StickyFirstSeed Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (44 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.8% of reviews — better72.2% of reviews
Number of ratings44 — better1
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB116 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerhaha InteractiveFirstSeed Inc

Customer experience

Hi Sticky

All ratings44 ratings
Positive88.6%
Neutral2.3%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews66 reviews
Positive78.8%
Neutral7.6%
Negative13.6%

FirstSeed Notes

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive72.2%
Neutral11.1%
Negative16.7%

Bugs and requests

Hi Sticky

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Widgets are blank on iOS 26
  • Viewing notes on watch is unreliable
  • iCloud sync is buggy and often fails
  • App crashes when deleting notes
  • Mac shows 'No account' for iCloud, iPhone shows 'undefined'
Show 3 more
  • No search functionality (Cmd+F does nothing)
  • Keyboard layout covers the bottom of the note on iPhone
  • iCloud account not connected on macOS

Requested features

8 requests
  • Support for Monospace font
  • Ability to choose own colors for notes
  • Ability to change background color
  • Mac widget for quicker access
  • Ability to have multiple notes open on Mac at the same time
Show 3 more
  • Improve overview of saved notes
  • Increase font size of notes
  • Add a menu app

FirstSeed Notes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Hi Sticky

One-time1
  • Hi Sticky+$9.99
5 purchases

FirstSeed Notes

Subscriptions4
  • Personal Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Team Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Personal Yearly1 Month trial$26.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Team Yearly1 Month trial$95.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is Hi Sticky free?
Hi Sticky is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is FirstSeed Notes free?
FirstSeed Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hi Sticky or FirstSeed Notes?
FirstSeed Notes is rated higher. Hi Sticky averages 4.6 out of 5 from 44 ratings, while FirstSeed Notes averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Hi Sticky or FirstSeed Notes have ads?
Neither Hi Sticky nor FirstSeed Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hi Sticky or FirstSeed Notes?
Hi Sticky ships an update weekly, and FirstSeed Notes every 2 weeks. Most recently, Hi Sticky was updated on November 7, 2026 and FirstSeed Notes on November 7, 2026.

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