BasicNotesApp vs Scrib

Create notes and folders.

Scrib keeps your notes on your iPhone. There is no account to create, no server to sync with, and no analytics or advertising code in the app. Every note is stored in an encrypted database inside the app's private container, with the key held in the iOS Keychain. WHAT SCRIB DOES • Notes. Write in plain text. Markdown is fine if you use it, and ignored if you don't. • Folders. Group notes into folders, filter the home screen by folder, and search folder names. Folders can be switched off in Settings without deleting anything. • Checklists. Turn any line into a checklist item. Items and plain text can sit in the same note. Tap an item to check it off. • Tap to edit. Tap anywhere in a note and the cursor lands where you tapped. • Colors. 44 note colors, plus 14 text colors that can apply to the title and body or the body only. • Find in note. Search inside a long note; matches are highlighted. • Search. Plain-text search across all notes, on the device. • Import. Bring in .txt and Markdown files, or exports from Google Keep, Simplenote and Evernote (.enex). Checklists in those exports arrive as live checklists. Files are read through the iOS file picker and parsed on the device. • Trash. Deleted notes go to a trash bin and are removed for good after 30 days. Restore any of them before then. • PIN lock. An optional 4 to 6 digit PIN protects the app. Attempts are rate limited. • Vault. A separate, PIN-protected space for notes you want kept apart from the main list. • Share Scrib. One tap in Settings hands a short line and the App Store link to the share sheet. • Languages. English, Arabic, German, Spanish, French, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil) and Simplified Chinese. HOW YOUR DATA IS PROTECTED • Encryption at rest. Every note is written to an AES-256 encrypted database. The key is generated on the device and stored in the iOS Keychain. • Safe upgrades. When the storage format changes, the migration completes fully or not at all, so an interrupted upgrade cannot leave notes half converted. • Key loss detection. If encrypted notes are found without their key, Scrib shows a recovery screen instead of quietly creating a new key. • Save on switch. Pending edits are written to disk the moment you switch apps. WHAT SCRIB DOES NOT DO • It does not make network requests. • It does not ask you to create an account. • It does not sync your notes anywhere. • It does not collect analytics or crash reports. • It does not show ads. • It does not charge for the features listed above. Scrib is built and maintained by one developer, Patrick Colton, also known as Beeswax Pat, a U.S. Army veteran. Questions and requests: beeswaxpat@gmail.com Privacy policy: https://scrib.blog/privacy