Discreet Notes vs FlatNote
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.
FlatNote
This app allows you to create and organize notes using markdown formatting. It offers live formatting, image support, and robust organization features. Your notes are stored as plain files and sync via iCloud across your Apple devices.
- Live markdown formatting
- Image embedding in notes
- Folder organization and pinning
- Real checkboxes
- In-note search
- Cross-device iCloud sync
- Plain .md file export
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FlatNote is a markdown notes app for people who want their writing to stay plain, portable, and theirs. It runs on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and your notes sync across all of them through your own iCloud, or stay in a folder you choose. Type markdown and watch it format as you go. Headings, bold, italic, strikethrough, links, quotes, bullet lists, and tappable checkboxes all render while you write. The raw symbols stay out of your way and reappear only on the line you are editing, so you always know exactly what you typed. WHAT YOU GET - Live formatting. See the result as you type, with a one minute reference note included. - Photos in your notes. Paste an image or attach one; it is saved next to the note as an ordinary file, not in a database. - Folders, pins, and sorting. Organize notes into real directories and keep the ones you use on top. - Real checkboxes. Tap to check things off, right in the note. - Find in a note. Search the open note and jump between highlighted matches. - Quick formatting. A formatting bar above the keyboard on iPhone and iPad, and standard shortcuts on Mac. - Find your notes fast. Search the whole library by title or content. YOUR WORDS BELONG TO YOU - Every note is a plain .md file. No proprietary format, no lock-in, readable in any app, on any device, years from now. - Your notes live in your iCloud and sync across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac automatically, signed in with your Apple ID. No separate account to make. - Export carries everything. Share any note as markdown, with its pictures included, or export your whole library as one zip of ordinary files. The files are also right there in the Files app on iOS and Finder on Mac. - Delete is honest. Deleted notes go to Trash, where they can be recovered. QUIET BY DESIGN - No ads. No tracking. No analytics. Nothing about you leaves your devices and your iCloud. - Works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, in light and dark. FlatNote keeps the format simple so you can keep your thinking clear.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Discreet Notes at every 9 days against FlatNote's every 3 months. FlatNote's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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, FlatNote every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on June 4, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Discreet Notes | FlatNote |
|---|---|---|
| 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 — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 9 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ivan Milicevic | Kate Benediktsson |
Customer experience
Discreet Notes
FlatNote
In-app purchases
Discreet Notes
No in-app purchases
FlatNote
No in-app purchases









