Comparison

Sticky Notes Sync vs FlatNote

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

Head to head
About

Sticky Notes Sync

Features
Read full description

DeskStick is a sticky notes app that syncs your notes across all your Apple devices via iCloud. Stick with your ideas, prompts, and AI outputs — wherever you are. DeskStick works particularly well as a lightweight companion for anyone who uses popular AI assistants every day. Keep reusable prompts pinned and ready, and park generated drafts before pasting them into your real editor or document. KEY FEATURES • iCloud Sync Your stickies are automatically synced across iPhone, iPad, and Mac via iCloud. Start a note on one device and pick it up on another. • Color Coding Organize notes by color. Separate work, personal, and experimental ideas at a glance. Colors sync via iCloud too. • Organize View Browse all your stickies in a single list or grid view. Switch display modes to fit how you think. • Home Screen Widgets Surface your latest notes on your home screen. Choose between a multi-note list widget and a single-sticky widget in small, medium, and large sizes. Tap a widget to jump straight into the note. Updates from any device sync to the widget automatically. • Lightweight & Focused No accounts, no ads, no clutter. Just notes that stay with you across your devices. USE CASES FOR THE AI ERA A snippet board for prompts you reuse Templates such as "code review prompt", "meeting notes summarizer", or "translate to English" can each live on their own sticky. They stay reachable while you bounce between browser tabs and chat apps, ready to be copied into the next AI conversation. Color coding makes it easy to separate work, personal, and experimental prompts at a glance. A draft pad for Slack, email, and chat messages Before you hit send on something written in the heat of the moment, write it on a sticky and read it back — that one extra beat is what saves you from "I shouldn't have said that". Drafting on a sticky instead of directly in the recipient's input field also avoids accidental sends. Especially valuable for sensitive customer replies, reports to your manager, and anything you'll regret sending unedited. A scratchpad for LLM outputs When an AI returns a code snippet or a draft, you often want to compare a few versions before committing them to your editor or document. DeskStick acts as a disposable scratchpad for those LLM outputs. Cross-device AI workflows Start drafting a prompt on your iPhone during your commute and finish it on your Mac at your desk. Because notes sync via iCloud, the constant "save a fragment, pick it up somewhere else" rhythm of working with AI fits naturally with DeskStick. Why DeskStick Unlike many basic sticky note apps, DeskStick is built around iCloud sync that reaches iPhone, iPad, and Mac together — well-suited to high-frequency note taking around AI tools. REQUIREMENTS • iOS 16.0 or later • An iCloud account signed in on your device • iCloud Drive enabled A companion macOS app is also available, so your notes follow you between iPhone, iPad, and Mac. DeskStick is free to download, with no ads and no subscriptions. If you find it useful, a review or a word to a friend is the best support you can give. Built by an indie developer. Feedback and bug reports are welcome at karaage01@outlook.jp or @krgpi on X.

About

FlatNote

This app allows you to create and organize notes using markdown formatting. It offers live formatting, image support, and robust organization features. Your notes are stored as plain files and sync via iCloud across your Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Live markdown formatting
  • Image embedding in notes
  • Folder organization and pinning
  • Real checkboxes
  • In-note search
  • Cross-device iCloud sync
  • Plain .md file export
Read full description

FlatNote is a markdown notes app for people who want their writing to stay plain, portable, and theirs. It runs on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and your notes sync across all of them through your own iCloud, or stay in a folder you choose. Type markdown and watch it format as you go. Headings, bold, italic, strikethrough, links, quotes, bullet lists, and tappable checkboxes all render while you write. The raw symbols stay out of your way and reappear only on the line you are editing, so you always know exactly what you typed. WHAT YOU GET - Live formatting. See the result as you type, with a one minute reference note included. - Photos in your notes. Paste an image or attach one; it is saved next to the note as an ordinary file, not in a database. - Folders, pins, and sorting. Organize notes into real directories and keep the ones you use on top. - Real checkboxes. Tap to check things off, right in the note. - Find in a note. Search the open note and jump between highlighted matches. - Quick formatting. A formatting bar above the keyboard on iPhone and iPad, and standard shortcuts on Mac. - Find your notes fast. Search the whole library by title or content. YOUR WORDS BELONG TO YOU - Every note is a plain .md file. No proprietary format, no lock-in, readable in any app, on any device, years from now. - Your notes live in your iCloud and sync across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac automatically, signed in with your Apple ID. No separate account to make. - Export carries everything. Share any note as markdown, with its pictures included, or export your whole library as one zip of ordinary files. The files are also right there in the Files app on iOS and Finder on Mac. - Delete is honest. Deleted notes go to Trash, where they can be recovered. QUIET BY DESIGN - No ads. No tracking. No analytics. Nothing about you leaves your devices and your iCloud. - Works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, in light and dark. FlatNote keeps the format simple so you can keep your thinking clear.

Screenshots

Sticky Notes Sync4 screens
FlatNote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Sticky Notes Sync at monthly against FlatNote's every 3 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sticky Notes Sync ships an update monthly, FlatNote every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Sticky Notes Sync versus FlatNote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSticky Notes SyncFlatNote
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYuki NoakiKate Benediktsson

In-app purchases

None

Sticky Notes Sync

No in-app purchases

None

FlatNote

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sticky Notes Sync free?
Sticky Notes Sync is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is FlatNote free?
FlatNote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Sticky Notes Sync or FlatNote have ads?
Neither Sticky Notes Sync nor FlatNote shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sticky Notes Sync or FlatNote?
Sticky Notes Sync ships an update monthly, and FlatNote every 3 months. Most recently, Sticky Notes Sync was updated on September 22, 2026 and FlatNote on September 28, 2026.

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