# Do You Sidenote vs Smolpad

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Do You Sidenote | Smolpad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/do-you-sidenote/id6448973329/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smolpad-markdown-notes/id6792438749/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5** | 1 |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 27 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MarshTech, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1687247008) | [BaconWorks, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6783126115) |

## What reviewers say

### Do You Sidenote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/do-you-sidenote/id6448973329)

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.

**Highlights:** Unlimited custom categories per group, Category-specific calendars, Global event calendar, Itinerary planning for consecutive events, Organized group conversations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Smolpad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smolpad-markdown-notes/id6792438749)

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.

**Highlights:** Plain .md file storage, iCloud sync, Markdown syntax highlighting, Task list checkboxes, Folder organization and search, File version history, Menu bar app on Mac

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Smolpad Pro | $1.49 | per month |
| Smolpad Pro | $14.99 | per year |
| Smolpad Pro Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Do You Sidenote free?

Do You Sidenote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Smolpad free?

Smolpad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Do You Sidenote or Smolpad?

Do You Sidenote and Smolpad are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Do You Sidenote or Smolpad have ads?

Neither Do You Sidenote nor Smolpad shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Do You Sidenote or Smolpad?

Do You Sidenote ships an update weekly, and Smolpad every 10 days. Most recently, Do You Sidenote was updated on November 3, 2026 and Smolpad on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*
