Sidebar | Fast Notes vs ScanLite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sidebar | Fast Notes
Quickly capture thoughts and ideas without the need for organization. Entries are timestamped logs that can be tagged as to-dos or personal wins/losses. Syncs across devices with custom themes and a stealth mode.
- Instant note capture
- Timestamped entries
- To-do list integration
- Personal scoreboard
- Cross-device sync
- Custom themes
- Stealth mode
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Open. Type. Done. Sidebar opens with the keyboard ready, so you can catch an idea in seconds and get back to what you were doing. No folders, no file names, no formatting. Just get it down before it's gone. EVERY ENTRY IS A LOG Notes are quick, timestamped logs, not documents. Add a tag when one needs to do more: - Todo: adds it to your task list - Win or Loss: counts toward your scoreboard - Love: marks the ideas worth coming back to KEEP SCORE Track wins and losses for anything: running, flossing, screen time. Your scoreboard shows what's on track and what needs attention. MAKE IT YOURS Choose any color for your theme. AND A FEW EXTRAS - Widget: pin an idea to your home screen - Sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac - Stealth Mode: keep sensitive notes private - Time Travel: revisit a random day
ScanLite
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Turn paper documents, receipts, IDs and book pages into clean PDFs. Recognize text on device, organize scans and export without a watermark. FEATURES - Multi-page capture with Apple’s document camera or image import - Grayscale, black-and-white and ink-saver enhancement - On-device OCR in 12 languages, including Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean and major European languages - Searchable PDF, text and image export - Titles, folders, tags, sorting and OCR text search - PDF merge, split, compression and annotations with Pro FREE - All capture modes and OCR languages - Up to 3 scans and 3 OCR runs per day - Watermark-free PDF, text and image export PRO — ONE-TIME UNLOCK - Unlimited scanning and OCR - PDF merge, split and compression - Signature, text, date and checkmark annotations PRIVACY OCR and document processing run on device. ScanLite does not send documents to third-party servers or require an account. Saved documents may sync through your Apple account’s private iCloud container. Privacy Policy and Terms are available in Settings.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sidebar | Fast Notes at none against ScanLite's 1. ScanLite's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. ScanLite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Sidebar | Fast Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.
Sidebar | Fast Notes ships an update every 2 months, ScanLite every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sidebar | Fast Notes | ScanLite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chris Woods | 献慧 陈 |
In-app purchases
Sidebar | Fast Notes
No in-app purchases
ScanLite
- Pro Lifetime$1.99
Questions
Is Sidebar | Fast Notes free?
Is ScanLite free?
Do Sidebar | Fast Notes or ScanLite have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sidebar | Fast Notes or ScanLite?
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