NeatNotes vs ChessLock
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NeatNotes
Organize and take notes quickly with a clean interface. See full note previews, customize note styles, and set reminders. Features smart grouping and automatic link title generation.
- Full note previews
- Customizable note styles (plain, sticky, lined)
- Home screen widgets
- Paragraph-based reminders
- Smart Stacks for automatic note grouping
- Readable link titles
- Photo integration
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Less is more, when it’s done right. NeatNotes gives you only what you need to organize and take notes quickly. While other apps show you a really tiny preview, with NeatNotes you can see the real note before you open it. This makes the app more fun and easier to find your notes. Make your notes personal with three different note styles. * A plain note, with extensive formatting options. * A sticky note, with large fonts, colors and checklists. * A lined note for that nostalgic yellow pad. Mini Spreadsheets. No Tables. NeatNotes lets you perform spreadsheet-like calculations directly in your notes. Type a simple math expression and the answer is suggested underneath it. Reuse a number by dragging and dropping it elsewhere in your note. This creates a reference, so when you change the original number, every reference and related calculation updates automatically. Make a list of numbers and the total is suggested above the keyboard. You can then calculate splits and averages or count the lines in a list. You can also use units of measurement for length, volume, weight and temperature in your calculations. Convert between more than 150 fiat currencies, popular cryptocurrencies, gold and silver using the latest available exchange rates. Widgets that make sense. You can see your notes on your Home Screen with widgets. You can navigate your note by paragraph, check off checklist items, open links and even see photos in your notes. Create Multiple Reminders. Make any paragraph a reminder. Just tap the bell icon on the keyboard and you can set the date and time of the reminder. It will ring and notify you on the lock screen. When you tap the reminder, it will open the note and take you to the paragraph where you set it. Smart Stacks. All notes apps let you search your notes, but Smart Stacks takes it to the next level. Smart Stacks automatically groups notes that share a trait, into one stack — like notes with contact info, or notes with checklists. You can also enter any word, and it’ll create a stack, with all the notes that contains the word. Photos and Readable links. You can add photos to your notes from your phone camera or photo library. You can even copy and paste them from another app like Safari. When you copy and paste a link, it automatically gets a readable title. So instead of seeing a complicated URL you see the title. This makes it easier for you to understand what the link is about rather than having to visit the link every time. No account needed. Use iCloud to Store and Sync. You don’t need to create another account. Just download the app and start using it. All your notes are automatically stored in iCloud and synced to other devices in your account. Privacy Your notes are extremely personal and we can't see them. In fact we don't even store them. Apple does in iCloud. We recommend that you turn on "Advanced Data Protection" in your iCloud settings, if you wish to prevent even Apple from having access to your notes.
ChessLock
This app helps you control screen time by blocking distracting applications. To take a break, you must solve chess puzzles, sharpening your mind and earning your pause. It's designed for anyone seeking enhanced focus and productivity with a unique, brain-boosting approach.
- Block distracting apps
- Solve chess puzzles for breaks
- Customizable focus sessions
- Brain-training puzzles
- Private by design, no data collection
- Pro version for advanced features
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Take control of your screen time like never before—with your brain as the key! Screen Time Control: ChessLock is a powerful focus tool that blocks distracting apps… and makes you earn your breaks by solving chess puzzles. Designed for those who want real productivity with a fun twist, ChessLock combines proven focus techniques with the timeless game of chess to help you stay in control. - How it works: Create a Focus Session Select the apps you want to block. Once it starts, you're locked in—no cheating allowed! Pause With Purpose Want a break? Solve a chess puzzle to unlock it. No puzzle, no pause. Train Your Brain Each puzzle challenge helps keep your mind sharp and focused. - Unlock More with ChessLock Pro Unlimited focus sessions Choose your puzzle difficulty Smarter, stronger app blocking Earn meaningful breaks More brain-boosting control - Why Chess? Chess is the perfect game to sharpen concentration, improve problem-solving, and help reset your brain during focused work. It’s not just screen time management — it’s brain time empowerment. - Private by Design No accounts, no personal data collection, no creepy tracking. Your preferences are stored locally, and analytics are completely anonymous. You stay in control. - Built for Everyone Whether you’re a student, freelancer, parent, or pro, ChessLock gives you a mindful, brain-powered way to manage your screen time. Download Screen Time Control: ChessLock and make every pause a power move.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: ChessLock at none against NeatNotes's shown. NeatNotes's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and monetization model (free vs freemium). On price, in-app purchases, 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. NeatNotes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and ChessLock sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
NeatNotes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NeatNotes has 37 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of NeatNotes's written reviews are positive against 67% of ChessLock's.
NeatNotes ships an update every 4 days, ChessLock fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NeatNotes | ChessLock |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (37 ratings) — better | 4.8 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 37 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Fusion Engineering | Patricio Guzman |
Customer experience
NeatNotes
ChessLock
In-app purchases
NeatNotes
- Lifetime Unlock$7.99
ChessLock
- Chesslock Pro2 variants$2.991 Month
- Chesslock Pro$19.991 Year
- Chesslock Pro$29.991 Year
- Chesslock Pro$17.49
- Chesslock Pro$34.99









