Sidebar | Fast Notes vs HabitPulse
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 fast, keyboard ready for your ideas. No folders, no document names, no organizing. Just get the idea down before it's gone. Entries are timestamped logs, not documents. But some logs do more. Tag an entry as a todo and it joins your lightweight task list. Tag it as a personal win or loss and it goes to your scoreboard, ranked by topic. What's inside: Cross-device sync across iOS and macOS, custom themes, and stealth mode for sensitive notes.
HabitPulse
Build lasting habits with streak tracking and visual reports. Monitor sleep, steps, and heart rate, with data processed locally for privacy. Unlock unlimited habits and advanced features with a one-time purchase.
- Habit check-ins with streaks
- Calendar heatmap
- Customizable habits
- Apple Health integration
- Weekly and monthly reports
- Widgets and Apple Watch support
- iCloud data sync
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Build better habits with streaks, and turn your sleep, steps, heart rate, and activity into a clear weekly report. HabitPulse helps you check in, review patterns, and keep your routine visible. Processing stays on your devices and in your private iCloud. One-time purchase. No subscription. FEATURES - Habit check-ins with streaks, flexible schedules, count goals, reminders, and groups - Calendar heatmap, month view, backfill, moods, and notes - Read-only Apple Health cards for sleep, steps, resting heart rate, and active energy - Weekly and monthly reports with baseline comparison and descriptive insights - Automatic check-ins from optional Health conditions - Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets - Apple Watch check-ins and complications - Private iCloud sync for habit data PRO (ONE-TIME UNLOCK) - Unlimited habits (free allows 3) - Advanced schedules and count goals - Full weekly and monthly reports, trends, insights, and PDF export - Complete history - Richer Widget and Apple Watch features - Moods, notes, and habit groups PRIVACY Habit data is local-first and can sync through your private iCloud. Health data is read only with your permission to build reports; it is not stored in our habit database or uploaded to our servers. No account, ads, or tracking SDK required. HabitPulse is for personal tracking and descriptive trends only. It does not provide medical diagnosis, treatment, predictions, or health advice.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sidebar | Fast Notes at 100% against HabitPulse's 0%. Sidebar | Fast Notes also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). HabitPulse's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. HabitPulse sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Sidebar | Fast Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.
Sidebar | Fast Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sidebar | Fast Notes has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Sidebar | Fast Notes's written reviews are positive against 0% of HabitPulse's.
Sidebar | Fast Notes ships an update every 3 months, HabitPulse every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sidebar | Fast Notes | HabitPulse |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better | 3.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Freemium — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chris Woods | 献慧 陈 |
Customer experience
Sidebar | Fast Notes
HabitPulse
In-app purchases
Sidebar | Fast Notes
No in-app purchases
HabitPulse
- Pro Lifetime$1.99
Questions
Is Sidebar | Fast Notes free?
Is HabitPulse free?
Which has better reviews, Sidebar | Fast Notes or HabitPulse?
Do Sidebar | Fast Notes or HabitPulse have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sidebar | Fast Notes or HabitPulse?
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