Comparison

Discreet Notes vs Recall

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

Head to head
About

Discreet Notes

This app offers a unique way to manage your notes with a strong emphasis on privacy. You can create truly hidden notes accessible only by their specific passphrase, or opt for visible notes for everyday use. It supports Markdown formatting and iCloud sync across Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Truly private hidden notes
  • Visible notes option
  • Raw Markdown editor
  • Markdown preview toggle
  • iCloud sync
  • Dark mode
Read full description

Your Notes, Your Secrets β€” Reimagined. Welcome to a different kind of notes app. Designed for privacy, built for simplicity, and powered by a unique approach to hidden notes. # Truly Private Notes Create hidden notes that don’t appear anywhere in the app. No titles, no previews, not even a count. The only way to access them? Enter the exact passphrase you used to create them. If you don’t remember it, it’s like the note never existed. # Visible Notes, If You Want Them Prefer something more traditional? Mark any note as visible, and it will show up in your list. Easily switch between your private thoughts and everyday to-dos. # Raw Markdown + Preview Toggle Write in pure Markdown, and toggle to preview your note beautifully rendered. Focus on content first, then enjoy the polished resultβ€”no distractions, no clutter. # iCloud Sync Keep your notes with you, securely synced across all your Apple devices. # Dark Mode Thoughtfully designed for low-light environments, perfect for night writing or discreet journaling. Why You’ll Love It - Journal without leaving a trace. - Store sensitive thoughts or ideas without fear of exposure. - Draft blog posts, code snippets, or creative writing in Markdown. - Keep everyday notes visible, and hidden notes truly hidden. Minimal. Powerful. Private.

About

Recall

Read full description

You take notes all the time. Then they sit there. You forget what you wrote, miss the tasks buried inside, and never look at half of them again. Recall makes sure that doesn't happen. WRITE NATURALLY; RECALL DOES THE REST. Just capture your thoughts. Recall reads what you wrote, pulls out tasks, detects deadlines, and connects related notes together. No tags, no folders, no formatting required. TASKS GET EXTRACTED AUTOMATICALLY. "Review the Q3 budget before Friday" becomes a task with a deadline. Recall finds action items in your notes and lets you set reminders so nothing falls through. DAILY NUDGES Every day, Recall surfaces what needs your attention: - Tasks due soon or overdue - Notes going stale that deserve a second look - Groups of related notes ready to become a project You don't have to go looking. It comes to you. PROJECTS FORM ON THEIR OWN. Write about the same topic across different days and recall notices. It suggests grouping them into a project with a single view of all related tasks and notes. SEARCH BY MEANING Type "that thing about the budget" and find the right note even if you never used those exact words. Semantic search understands what you meant, not just what you typed. WEEKLY REVIEW Once a week, see the full picture: what you captured, what you finished, where your focus went, and which projects went quiet. SYNCS ACROSS IPHONE AND MAC iCloud sync. No account required. Write on your Mac; get nudged on your phone. One purchase covers both. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT Notes stay on your device. Core intelligence runs locally using on-device AI. No ads, no tracking, no account required. Premium AI features are opt-in. FREE TO USE - Unlimited notes - Task extraction - Deadline and overdue nudges - Keyword search - iCloud sync across iPhone and Mac PREMIUM Everything is free, plus smarter search, auto-projects, all nudge types, weekly reviews, and enhanced AI. Premium makes it all smarter. Built for people who think in notes and need them to actually go somewhere. Privacy policy: https://yazanalhalabi.github.io/recall-privacy Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula

Screenshots

Discreet Notes4 screens
Recall4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Discreet Notes at none against Recall's 2. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Recall sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Discreet Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Discreet Notes ships an update every 9 days, Recall every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on June 4, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 7 level
Discreet Notes versus Recall: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDiscreet NotesRecall
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsβ€”
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 8 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
MonetizationFreeβ€”
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size9 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIvan MilicevicYazan Al Halabi

In-app purchases

None

Discreet Notes

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Recall

Subscriptions2
  • Recall Monthly1 Month trial$3.991 Month
  • Recall Yearly$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Discreet Notes free?
Discreet Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Recall free?
Recall is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Discreet Notes or Recall have ads?
Neither Discreet Notes nor Recall shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Discreet Notes or Recall?
Discreet Notes ships an update every 9 days, and Recall every 8 days. Most recently, Discreet Notes was updated on June 4, 2026 and Recall on September 8, 2026.

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