Comparison

Secure Notepad Pro vs Private Notes

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

Head to head
About

Secure Notepad Pro

Securely store your personal notes with password or biometric protection. This ad-free app offers a fast, simple interface with extensive customization options and automatic cloud synchronization for access across all your devices.

Highlights
  • Password and Face ID protection
  • Ad-free experience
  • 20+ customizable color themes
  • Automatic iCloud synchronization
  • Automatic local backup and restore
  • Note sorting by date or alphabetically
Features
Read full description

Secure Notepad Pro is the ultimate app for protecting your personal notes with a password, keeping them safe from prying eyes. Designed for speed and simplicity, it’s perfect for jotting down ideas, to-do lists, or anything else you need to remember. Choose from over 20 different color themes to customize your experience and make your notepad app unique. Even better, the free version of Secure Notepad Pro is completely ad-free, so you can focus on what matters without distractions. With automatic synchronization via iCloud, you can rest assured that your notes are always up-to-date and accessible on all your devices. Key features: • Fast and easy-to-use app with no ads. • Protect your notes with a password or Face ID. • Automatic lock (you have 30 seconds to return to the app without entering the password). • Choose from 20+ colorful themes to personalize your note-taking experience. • Automatic iCloud syncing. • Automatic local backup of notes with the ability to restore from a backup. • Sort your notes by date or alphabetically. Download Secure Notepad Pro today and experience the ultimate in note-taking security and convenience.

About

Private Notes

This app transcribes and summarizes audio recordings entirely on your device, ensuring complete privacy. It offers real-time transcription, AI-generated summaries of key points and action items, and supports multiple languages, all without requiring an internet connection or account.

Highlights
  • 100% on-device processing
  • Real-time transcription
  • AI-powered summaries
  • Multilingual support (10 languages)
  • Offline functionality
  • Export in Markdown
Features
Read full description

Your meetings stay private. Every word, every summary, every action item - processed entirely on your device. No servers. No uploads. No accounts. Just you and your notes. COMPLETELY OFFLINE - TRULY PRIVATE Unlike other AI notetakers that upload your audio to cloud services, Private Notes - AI Note Taker processes everything using Apple Intelligence directly on your iPhone. Your sensitive work discussions, confidential calls, and personal voice memos never leave your device. No internet required (except for time you subscribe). Sync is off by default. No data collection. Period. REAL-TIME TRANSCRIPTION Watch your words appear instantly as you speak. Private Notes - AI Note Taker uses Apple's speech recognition for real-time transcription with minimal latency. AI-POWERED SUMMARIES Stop wasting hours reviewing recordings. When your meeting ends, Apple Intelligence instantly generates: • Comprehensive narrative summary • Key points and highlights • Important decisions made • Action items with assignees • Main topics and themes discussed • Handles recordings of any length with full context preserved. MULTILINGUAL SUPPORT Transcribe in 10 languages: English, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. DESIGNED FOR PRIVACY FROM DAY 1 • Zero data collection - we literally cannot access your data • No account required - start recording in seconds • Audio never leaves your device - all processing happens on-device • Optional encrypted iCloud backup - sync transcripts across devices • Works in airplane mode - recording and AI work fully offline • Encrypted local storage - iOS-level security built in • No analytics or tracking - your usage is your business SIMPLE AND POWERFUL FEATURES • One-tap recording with elegant, intuitive interface • Background recording - switch apps without stopping your session • Full searchable transcript with accurate timestamps • Beautiful dark mode support • Compact app size - no bloated AI models to download • Export transcripts and summaries in Markdown DEVICE REQUIREMENTS AI summaries require Apple Intelligence enabled device. Speech transcription works on all devices. WHY PRIVATE NOTES - AI NOTE TAKER Most AI notetakers and voice recorder apps process your voice on remote servers. That means your confidential discussions - therapy sessions, doctor visits, legal consultations, salary negotiations, business strategies - travel through the internet and sit on someone else's computer indefinitely. Private Notes - AI Note Taker is different. We built this offline note taker from the ground up to be 100% local and on-device. No compromises. No "mostly private" half-measures. Paid users who want backup can enable optional iCloud sync - encrypted by Apple, with no third-party access. Sync is off by default, and we still can't see your data. When you delete a recording, it's gone forever - because we never had access to it in the first place. PERFECT FOR • Lawyers and legal professionals • Business professionals who value confidentiality • Students and academic researchers • Journalists and content creators • Anyone who wants AI without surveillance FREE TO TRY Start recording with Private Notes - AI Note Taker for free and experience truly private AI note-taking. No account required, no time limits. Start recording with Private Notes for free — no account required, no time limits. Get 3 recordings per month, real-time transcription, AI summaries, and export features - all processed 100% on your device. When you're ready for more, upgrade to Premium: • Unlimited recordings • Full export and sharing • Optional encrypted iCloud sync • Monthly or yearly subscription options — cancel anytime Download Private Notes - AI Note Taker and experience the future of note-taking — intelligent, instant, and completely private. Terms of Use: https://privatenotes.app/terms-of-use

Screenshots

Secure Notepad Pro4 screens
Private Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Private Notes at every 3 weeks against Secure Notepad Pro's every 5 months. Private Notes also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 76%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Secure Notepad Pro's advantage is ratings volume (2.7K vs 11) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Secure Notepad Pro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Private Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Private Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Secure Notepad Pro has 2.7K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Secure Notepad Pro's written reviews are positive against 100% of Private Notes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Secure Notepad Pro ships an update every 5 months, Private Notes every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Secure Notepad Pro versus Private Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSecure Notepad ProPrivate Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (2.7K ratings)5.0 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.7K — better11
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDmytro VynokurovApp Incubator Inc.

Customer experience

Secure Notepad Pro

All ratings2,718 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral2.6%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews236 reviews
Positive76.3%
Neutral10.2%
Negative13.6%

Private Notes

All ratings11 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Secure Notepad Pro

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Notes disappearing after updates
  • Syncing and backup issues
  • Crashes and freezes
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to add photos/images
  • Sync across devices
  • Backup and restore functionality
  • More customization options (fonts, colors, etc.)
  • Touch ID/Face ID support

Private Notes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Secure Notepad Pro

One-time1
  • Unlimited Storage$14.99
3 purchases

Private Notes

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Plan3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Monthly Plan$4.991 Month
  • Yearly Plan$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Secure Notepad Pro free?
Secure Notepad Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Private Notes free?
Private Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Secure Notepad Pro or Private Notes?
Private Notes is rated higher. Secure Notepad Pro averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while Private Notes averages 5.0 from 11 ratings.
Do Secure Notepad Pro or Private Notes have ads?
Neither Secure Notepad Pro nor Private Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Secure Notepad Pro or Private Notes?
Secure Notepad Pro ships an update every 5 months, and Private Notes every 3 weeks. Most recently, Secure Notepad Pro was updated on October 13, 2026 and Private Notes on September 29, 2026.

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