Minimalist Journal vs Element Note
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Minimalist Journal
Capture your thoughts and ideas digitally with a handwriting experience that mimics pen on paper. Utilize Apple Pencil for precision and ease, transforming your device into a personal diary. Unlock unlimited entries with a one-time purchase.
- Handwritten journaling
- Apple Pencil support
- Digital diary
- Capture thoughts and ideas
- Unlimited entries unlock
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Introducing Minimalist Journal - the ultimate journaling app for the modern day writer. With Minimalist Journal, you can capture your thoughts and ideas in a beautiful way, using the power of Apple Pencil©. Write with the same precision and ease as you would on paper, while also enjoying the convenience of digital journaling. So why type when you can write? Download Minimalist Journal today and start capturing your life's story in a meaningful and authentic way. Try Minimal Journal for free. If you like our concept you can unlock unlimited entries for a one-time fee without subscription or ads.
Element Note
This app offers a distraction-free digital notebook experience with advanced handwriting, PDF annotation, and sketching capabilities. It features unique brushes, a powerful rendering engine, and smart organization tools. Sync your notes across devices and collaborate with others seamlessly.
- Unique handwriting brushes
- Smooth drawing engine
- PDF annotation
- Text, shape, and image attachments
- On-device OCR search
- Smart dark mode
- iCloud sync and collaboration
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Element Note is the next-gen note taking, PDF annotation, and light sketching app. We stripped down the unnecessaries and carefully polished the elemental functions for a digital notebook. With a modern look and powerful features, Element Note strives to provide an elegant writing space free of distractions. Features: Unique brushes - Pencil (HB Pencil, Mechanical Pencil) - Pen (Pen, Line Pen, Fountain Pen) - Brush (Art Brush, Round Brush) - Marker (Marker, Round Marker) Best-in-class note rendering engine - Smooth and fluid drawing powered by Metal technology - Support gradient ink for more expressive notes Powerful attachments - Text - Shape - Sticker - Image Universal Search - Search through your PDF & Handwritting using on device OCR Smart Darkmode - Smartly adapts all of your notes to the system darkmode without changing the paper or stroke colors. iCloud Sync & Collaboration - Sync via your personal iCloud (No data is passed to our server) - Collaborate through iCloud collaboration for up to 100 users. Desktop class organization - Intuitive multi-select drag and drop gesture to organize your notes or pages Element Note is free to try for up to 3 notes. Unlock the full app with an in app purchase to create unlimited notes. Terms and Conditions https://elementnote.app/terms Privacy Policy https://elementnote.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Element Note at 4.6 against Minimalist Journal's 4.0. Element Note also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (70% vs 58%). 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
Both are free to download. Minimalist Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Element Note sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Element Note holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Element Note has 2.6K ratings behind it against 377, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Minimalist Journal's written reviews are positive against 70% of Element Note's.
Minimalist Journal ships an update every 3 months, Element Note fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.
| Parameter | Minimalist Journal | Element Note |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (377 ratings) | 4.6 (2.6K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 58.4% of reviews | 69.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 377 | 2.6K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 129 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Christian Merk | Soysauce Lab |
Customer experience
Minimalist Journal
Element Note
User reviews
Minimalist Journal
From 377 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Minimalist design
- 💡 Handwriting support
- 🔒 Password protection
- 🚀 Simple and intuitive
- 📝 Effective for journaling
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy performance
- 🖌️ Limited drawing/editing tools
- 💰 Paywall after limited entries
- 📁 No backup/export options
- 👨💻 Lack of customization
Element Note
From 2.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth handwriting experience
- 💡 Customizable pens and colors
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 🎨 Gradient and gradient brush tools
- 📚 Great for journaling and note-taking
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Search function not working
- 🖼️ Issues with image handling and export
- 🔀 Difficulty switching between pen and eraser
- 🔑 Lack of password/locking feature for notes
Bugs and requests
Minimalist Journal
Reported bugs
4 issues- Apple Pencil double-tap not working
- Keyboard not appearing on screen
- Jumping between entries while writing
- Faint/invisible writing lines in dark mode
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to erase entire pages
- Option to change pen color
- Landscape mode support
- Sync with iCloud or other cloud storage
- Undo/redo functionality
Element Note
Reported bugs
4 issues- Notes and files randomly disappearing
- Inconsistent behavior when using the floating keyboard
- Handwriting recognition not working as expected
- Exported PDFs losing formatting and background colors
Requested features
6 requests- Ruler tool
- Ability to resize/rotate selections
- Improved text editing and formatting
- Presentation mode for connecting to displays
- Ability to import/export multiple files at once
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- Seasonal or custom sticker packs
In-app purchases
Minimalist Journal
- Unlimited entries$8.99
Element Note
- Element Note Yearly$3.491 Year
- Element Note Yearly$4.991 Year
- Lifetime Launch Special$4.99
- Lifetime$9.99
- Lifetime$14.99
Questions
Is Minimalist Journal free?
Is Element Note free?
Which has better reviews, Minimalist Journal or Element Note?
Do Minimalist Journal or Element Note have ads?
Which is updated more often, Minimalist Journal or Element Note?
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