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

This app allows you to create and display digital sticky notes directly on your desktop. Customize note colors, add checklists, and use widgets to keep your reminders visible. Notes sync across devices via iCloud for secure access.

Highlights
  • Desktop sticky notes
  • Customizable note colors
  • To-do checklists
  • Desktop widgets
  • Pin notes above windows (macOS)
  • iCloud sync
  • Privacy protection
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 right on your desktop. You can customize note colors, create to-do checklists, and even show notes on your desktop with widgets. By downloading the macOS version, you can display notes on your Mac desktop—and even pin them above any window. Desktop Note syncs your notes across devices with iCloud while protecting your privacy. Your notes are stored in your own iCloud, and only you can access them. If you have any questions or 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

Desktop Note and Notes are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Desktop Note ships an update every 4 weeks, Notes every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Desktop Note versus Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDesktop NoteNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews90.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 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.
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 weeks, and Notes every 3 weeks. Most recently, Desktop Note was updated on October 17, 2026 and Notes on October 18, 2026.

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