# SmileNote vs footnotes

SmileNote and footnotes both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 96% of footnotes's written reviews are positive against 48% of SmileNote's. footnotes also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (190 vs 1). SmileNote's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SmileNote sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. footnotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

SmileNote holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: footnotes has 190 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 48% of SmileNote's written reviews are positive against 96% of footnotes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

SmileNote ships an update every 2 weeks, footnotes every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SmileNote | footnotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smilenote-journal-and-diary/id6474106595/reviews)** | [4.8 (190 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/footnotes-notes-for-noticing/id6803869918/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **190** |
| Positive reviews | 47.8% of reviews | **95.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 153 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Koniio Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/779303271) | [Doppler HQ, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895101271) |

## What reviewers say

### SmileNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smilenote-journal-and-diary/id6474106595)

Capture your daily thoughts and feelings with a simple yet customizable digital journal. Add color, stickers, and images to express yourself creatively. Perfect for quick notes or detailed entries, it helps you cherish life's peaceful moments.

**Highlights:** Daily marking of weather, mood, and events, Customizable text with colors and fonts, Vibrant stickers and hand-drawn designs, Themed templates for various diary types, Add images to entries, Multiple font styles and background options

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Annual | $9.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $14.99 | one-time |


### footnotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/footnotes-notes-for-noticing/id6803869918)

Capture the full texture of everyday moments with words, photos, video, and voice. Organize these memories into notebooks and create a timeline of your life. Share your moments as little stories.

**Highlights:** Capture moments with text, photos, video, and voice, Organize notes into different notebooks, Build a timeline of life's moments, Create shareable stories from moments, Edit and add to old notes

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SmileNote free?

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

### Is footnotes free?

footnotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SmileNote or footnotes?

SmileNote is rated higher. SmileNote averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while footnotes averages 4.8 from 190 ratings.

### Do SmileNote or footnotes have ads?

Neither SmileNote nor footnotes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SmileNote or footnotes?

SmileNote ships an update every 2 weeks, and footnotes every 2 days. Most recently, SmileNote was updated on October 22, 2026 and footnotes on October 31, 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.*