Comparison

Desktop Note vs Thread

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

Head to head
About

Desktop Note

Create customizable sticky notes and display them on your device's home screen. Organize tasks with checklists, add photos, and sync across devices via iCloud. Export your notes in Markdown format for backup or migration.

Highlights
  • Customizable sticky notes
  • Home screen widgets
  • To-do checklists
  • Photo widgets
  • Text formatting
  • iCloud sync
  • Markdown export
Features
Read full description

Do you miss the days when your desk was covered with sticky notes? Create sticky notes with Desktop Note and display them on your Home Screen. Customize note colors, choose beautiful illustrated backgrounds, and create to-do checklists. You can also use widgets to display notes or photos on your Home Screen. Download the macOS version to display sticky notes on your Mac desktop and even pin them above any window. Desktop Note syncs your sticky notes across devices with iCloud while protecting your privacy. What users love about Desktop Note: #A wide range of note colors and illustrated backgrounds #To-do checklists #Photos in Home Screen widgets #Text formatting Supports bold, highlighting, italics, and more #iCloud backup and sync Automatically sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac with iCloud # Data Export & Import Your data belongs to you. Export your notes as Markdown files anytime to back them up or move them to another app. Import your notes from Apps like ColorNote. #Privacy Your notes are stored in your own iCloud, and only you can access them. If you have any questions or product suggestions, feel free to email me anytime: cswenshuo@gmail.com Terms of Use: https://www.notion.so/Terms-of-Use-e2fd82b183504ad1b5e82c684c25865a Privacy Policy: https://www.notion.so/Privacy-Policy-f692aafe77d540f1b191bd0e5aa5ee59

About

Thread

Capture your thoughts instantly by speaking them aloud. This app transforms your voice into organized notes, keeping your ideas accessible without any accounts or ads. It's designed for those who need a quick and efficient way to save their inspirations.

Highlights
  • Unlimited voice notes
  • Unlimited recording length
  • Automatic organization
  • On-device storage
  • No accounts required
  • No ads or tracking
Features
Read full description

Thread turns your voice into organized notes, lists, and reminders. Tap. Talk. Done. Brain dump everything on your mind and Thread sorts it out for you, automatically. Built for people with more ideas than time. Entrepreneurs, builders, creatives, students, anyone who's lost a great idea to a slow notes app. How it works: Open Thread. Tap the microphone. Say whatever's on your mind, one idea or ten. Thread listens and turns it into clean, organized notes, lists, and reminders. That's it. No accounts. No subscriptions. No syncing. No ads. No tracking. What's included: • Unlimited voice notes • Unlimited recording length • Automatic organization • Everything stays on your device • Free, forever From Jackson Paul Studios Thread is the first app from Jackson Paul Studios, a solo studio building simple, free apps for real problems. We don't collect data. We don't show ads. We don't ask you to make an account. Just software that respects the people using it. Have feedback or an idea? Email jacksonpaulstudios@gmail.com

Screenshots

Desktop Note4 screens
Thread4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Thread at none against Desktop Note's 5. Thread also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Desktop Note's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (33 vs 3). On price 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. Desktop Note sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 3 months. Thread asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Thread holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Desktop Note has 33 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Desktop Note ships an update every 4 days, Thread every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Desktop Note versus Thread: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDesktop NoteThread
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (33 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings33 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer文烁 蔡Jackson Shell

Customer experience

Desktop Note

All ratings33 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral6.1%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews174 reviews
Positive90.8%
Neutral2.9%
Negative6.3%

Thread

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Desktop Note

Subscriptions4
  • Desktop Note - 1 Quarter$0.993 Months
  • Desktop Note Premium$0.991 Month
  • Desktop Note Premium2 variants$1.993 Months
Show 1 more
  • Premium$2.993 Months
None

Thread

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Desktop Note free?
Desktop Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Thread free?
Thread is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Desktop Note or Thread?
Thread is rated higher. Desktop Note averages 4.6 out of 5 from 33 ratings, while Thread averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Desktop Note or Thread have ads?
Neither Desktop Note nor Thread shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Desktop Note or Thread?
Desktop Note ships an update every 4 days, and Thread every 3 weeks. Most recently, Desktop Note was updated on November 7, 2026 and Thread on October 31, 2026.

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