Grandpa Notes vs Cloud Memo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Grandpa Notes
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Grandpa Notes is a simple note-taking app. It is free and open source, with no advertisements, in-app purchases or tracking. Your notes are stored as plain text in a straightforward folder structure. You can create notebooks locally or in iCloud. There is also an optional encryption layer that is compatible with Cryptomator.
Cloud Memo
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Main features 1. Simple and easy-to-use memo function 2. Cross-device with iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch(read only) 3. Encrypt and store data in iCloud 4. Data Backup (Upgrade) 5. Data Export / Import (Upgrade) 6. Pressing the music note button will play lively background music * When the mobile data connection is not on the primary line, please turn the mobile data OFF/ON on your iPhone to reflect it on your Apple Watch.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Grandpa Notes at none against Cloud Memo's 1. Cloud Memo's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 20 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Cloud Memo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Grandpa Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.
Grandpa Notes ships an update every 20 months, Cloud Memo every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Grandpa Notes | Cloud Memo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 20 months | Every 11 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Julien Eyriès | NAOTO UENO |
In-app purchases
Grandpa Notes
No in-app purchases
Cloud Memo
- Upgrade to Plus$0.99
Questions
Is Grandpa Notes free?
Is Cloud Memo free?
Do Grandpa Notes or Cloud Memo have ads?
Which is updated more often, Grandpa Notes or Cloud Memo?
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