Discreet Notes vs NeedleNote Artist
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Truly private hidden notes
- Visible notes option
- Raw Markdown editor
- Markdown preview toggle
- iCloud sync
- Dark mode
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Your Notes, Your Secrets — 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 result—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.
NeedleNote Artist
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NeedleNote is a professional tattoo workflow app built to help tattoo artists organise clients, consultations, projects, sessions, waivers, traceability, equipment settings, colour mixes and references in one place. Built by a working tattoo artist, NeedleNote is designed around real studio workflow — from the first client enquiry through consultation, preparation, tattoo sessions, healing and long-term client history. Enter information once, then use it throughout the tattoo process without constantly rewriting the same details. Use NeedleNote to: • Manage client records, contact details and important notes • Send secure client intake forms, tattoo requests and session waivers • Review client responses before they update your records • Keep signed waivers organised in a dedicated Waiver Library • Record consultations and plan tattoo projects • Document individual tattoo sessions and multi-session work • Record tattoo placement, needles, machines, voltage and session notes • Save fresh, healed and reference photos • Track pigments with Ink Trace, including brand, colour, batch or lot number and expiry information • Keep session-level ink records for better traceability • Build and save colour mixes and pigment recipes in Colour Lab • Record machine setups and reusable presets • Use Stencil Hub and NeedlePrint tools to help prepare stencil projects • Keep previous session information available for repeat work • Maintain a clearer long-term tattoo history for each client • Sync supported records between your devices • Create studio-data backups with clearer backup status information CLIENT WORKFLOW NeedleNote’s Client Hub gives you one place to send information to new or existing clients, review incoming responses, manage secure links and keep signed waivers organised. Clients can complete information and sign remotely before arriving at the studio. Signed waivers remain stored as their own legal record and can optionally be linked to a client or individual sitting later. SESSION RECORDS Keep the details you actually want to remember: placement, needles, machine, voltage, pigments, mixes, notes, payment information, photos and healing records. Each sitting can maintain its own waiver and tattoo information while still belonging to a larger client or tattoo project. INK TRACE Record pigment brands, colours, batch or lot numbers, expiry dates and other traceability information, then keep a snapshot of what was used in each session. This helps artists maintain clearer records without relying on handwritten notes or trying to remember which bottle was used months later. BUILT FOR TATTOO ARTISTS NeedleNote is made for tattoo artists who care about consistency, documentation, client care and improving their process over time. It is not intended to tell artists how to tattoo. It is designed to remove guesswork around the information surrounding the tattoo. Some advanced features require NeedleNote Pro. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://needlenote.studio/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is device support: NeedleNote Artist at 3 against Discreet Notes's 1. NeedleNote Artist also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Discreet Notes ships an update every 9 days, NeedleNote Artist every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Discreet Notes | NeedleNote Artist |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Ivan Milicevic | Bradon Kelly |
In-app purchases
Discreet Notes
No in-app purchases
NeedleNote Artist
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Discreet Notes free?
Is NeedleNote Artist free?
Do Discreet Notes or NeedleNote Artist have ads?
Which is updated more often, Discreet Notes or NeedleNote Artist?
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