Comparison

Desktop Note vs Notes

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

Notes

Features
Read full description

Your notes. Your aesthetic. Aesthetic Notes is not an ordinary notes app. Here every note gets its own paper, its own type and its own colour – and, if you like, a strip of tape, a wax seal or punch holes along the edge. What comes out doesn't look like a form. It looks like something off your desk. THE SAME NOTES EVERYWHERE – AND THE SAME DESIGN iCloud keeps your notes on iPhone, iPad and Mac at once. Not just the text: paper, type, colour, trimmings and image crop travel with them. A note you design in the evening looks exactly the same on your other device in the morning. Nothing gets reformatted, nothing goes missing. Everything stays private in your own iCloud. FOUR KINDS OF NOTES • Text note with weight, alignment and bullets • To-do list to tick off, with a reminder for each item • Table for plans, weeks and overviews • Picture note with a clean crop DESIGN IT UNTIL IT FEELS RIGHT Ten paper colours from cream to sage. Blank, lined or grid. Seventeen typefaces from plain to handwriting. Plus around thirty trimmings: tape, wax seals, pins, paper clips, punch holes, torn edges, decorative frames and bows. Found a combination you love? Save it in the Style Studio as your own style and apply it to any other note with a single tap. ON YOUR HOME SCREEN Any note can go on your Home Screen as a widget – in three sizes and in its own design. Your shopping list ends up where you're already looking. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY Individual notes can be locked with Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. A locked note stays milky – lovely to look at, impossible to read. DRAWING Pen, marker, pencil and eraser. On iPad with Apple Pencil too. ON MAC AS WELL Aesthetic Notes is also available for macOS. There your notes sit right on the desktop, free to place anywhere, and they can turn transparent. FREE AND PRO Aesthetic Notes is free. Pro unlocks custom colours with an eyedropper, your own images as note backgrounds, the Design Collection and more typefaces. Try it free for seven days. Privacy Policy: https://notes-privacy-museandmethod.sofia-schuster02.chatgpt.site/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Desktop Note4 screens
Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Desktop Note at 4.7 against Notes's 4.0. Desktop Note also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (49 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Desktop Note sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 3 months and Notes sells 3 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

Desktop Note holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Desktop Note has 49 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Desktop Note ships an update every 4 days, Notes every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 14, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Desktop Note versus Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDesktop NoteNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (49 ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings49 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB88 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer文烁 蔡Sofia Schuster

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
3 purchases

Notes

Subscriptions2
  • Notes Pro Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Notes Pro Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Notes Pro Lifetime$79.99

Questions

Is Desktop Note free?
Desktop Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Notes free?
Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Desktop Note or Notes?
Desktop Note is rated higher. Desktop Note averages 4.7 out of 5 from 49 ratings, while Notes averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Desktop Note or Notes have ads?
Neither Desktop Note nor Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Desktop Note or Notes?
Desktop Note ships an update every 4 days, and Notes every 3 weeks. Most recently, Desktop Note was updated on November 14, 2026 and Notes on November 13, 2026.

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