Do You Sidenote vs Smolpad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Do You Sidenote
This messaging app helps busy individuals organize group chats with custom categories and individual calendars. It also features a global calendar for all events and itinerary planning for consecutive activities.
- Unlimited custom categories per group
- Category-specific calendars
- Global event calendar
- Itinerary planning for consecutive events
- Organized group conversations
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Introducing Sidenote, the group messaging app that takes organization to the next level! With Sidenote, you can create unlimited custom categories in each group chat, keeping your chats organized and easy to navigate. Each category even has its own calendar for events and tasks, so you'll never miss a beat. But that's not all - Sidenote also features a global calendar that displays all of the events you're attending across all of your group chats. Say goodbye to the headache of trying to keep track of multiple events in multiple chats - Sidenote has got you covered. And for those busy weekends or vacations with friends and family, Sidenote allows you to create itineraries for consecutive events. Plan out your entire weekend or trip with ease, and keep everyone in the loop. Say goodbye to cluttered group chats and missed events - download Sidenote today and start organizing your conversations like a pro!
Smolpad
A minimalist Markdown editor that stores your notes as plain .md files, accessible across all your devices via iCloud. Offers beautiful writing tools and robust file management without bloat.
- Plain .md file storage
- iCloud sync
- Markdown syntax highlighting
- Task list checkboxes
- Folder organization and search
- File version history
- Menu bar app on Mac
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Smolpad is a smol Markdown editor with respect for your files. Every note is a plain .md file you can open with any app, on any device, forever. Your files are your own. No database. No lock-in. No bloat. Just a tiny, fast home for your notes on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. WRITE IN MARKDOWN, BEAUTIFULLY • Syntax dims as you type, or hides away entirely with one tap • Task lists become real checkboxes. Checkboxes that check. • Headings, bold, italic, code, quotes, and tables, styled as you write • A formatting bar for common touches, plus full keyboard shortcuts • Pictures too: drag or paste one in, resize it by its corner, and it lives as a plain file beside the note YOUR FILES, ANYWHERE • Notes sync through your own iCloud Drive, included free • Open your notes folder in Finder or Files any time • Organize with folders, pins, and instant search • A Trash for deleted notes, and a history of every note's earlier versions • Find notes in Spotlight, and open them with Siri or Shortcuts • Your notes never leave your devices except to your own cloud SMOL ON PURPOSE • On the Mac, Smolpad lives in your menu bar, one hotkey away • Tear off a note into its own window when you want to stay a while • On iPhone and iPad, it opens fast and stays out of your way • Eight hand-picked fonts and a clean, quiet interface MAKE IT YOURS WITH SMOLPAD PRO • Unlimited notes (the free tier includes ten) • Dropbox, pCloud, or Google Drive sync, in a folder that belongs to you • Notepads: open any folder of Markdown files as its own notepad, an Obsidian vault or a Bear export among them • Export to PDF, HTML, or rich text, and print • Widgets on the Mac, iPhone and iPad, Lock Screen widgets on iPhone, and Smolpad on Apple Watch • Twenty-nine editor themes, from Tokyo Night to Catppuccin • Seventeen app icons and the full menu bar icon set Smolpad Pro is available as a monthly or yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. The free tier is a real notes app, not a trial. Made by a smol team that believes plain text outlives everything. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://smolpad.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Do You Sidenote at none against Smolpad's 3. Do You Sidenote also leads on ratings volume (5 vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.0). Smolpad's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. Smolpad sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Do You Sidenote asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Do You Sidenote against 5.0 for Smolpad. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Do You Sidenote has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Do You Sidenote ships an update weekly, Smolpad every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Do You Sidenote | Smolpad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (5 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 76 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MarshTech, LLC | BaconWorks, LLC |
Customer experience
Do You Sidenote
Smolpad
In-app purchases
Do You Sidenote
No in-app purchases
Smolpad
- Smolpad Pro$1.491 Month
- Smolpad Pro7 Days trial$14.991 Year
- Smolpad Pro Lifetime$29.99









