Comparison

Reminder Panels vs Retro Notes

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

Head to head
About

Reminder Panels

This utility app enhances the native Reminders app by presenting your lists in a grid layout. It works seamlessly across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, offering a visual way to manage your tasks without requiring external accounts.

Highlights
  • Grid layout for Reminders lists
  • Leverages built-in Reminders app
  • No external account creation needed
  • Works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
  • Ad-free experience
Features
Read full description

Reminder Panels is an app designed to use the "lists" in Reminders in a panel layout. It leverages the built-in Reminders app, so there’s no need to create accounts on external websites. While it is primarily designed for use on iPad and Mac, it also works on iPhone. * Terms of Use: Comply with Apple's EULA https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Retro Notes

Features
Read full description

Retro Notes turns everyday note-taking into something you actually enjoy. Beautifully designed with vintage-inspired themes, it combines the simplicity of classic journals with the power of a modern organizer — all on your iPhone and iPad. WRITE FREELY, ORGANIZE EFFORTLESSLY Create notes with rich text blocks, checklists, and tags. Organize everything into folders and nested subfolders. On iPad, use full notebooks for long-form journaling and creative projects. Pin your favorites for quick access, and find anything instantly with powerful global search across all your notes, folders, tasks, and blocks. A BLOCK FOR EVERYTHING Retro Notes goes beyond plain text. Each note is built from blocks you mix and match: • Text — Write with customizable per-note fonts. Choose from 15 beautiful typefaces including Typewriter, Georgia, Baskerville, Futura, and more. • Tasks — Interactive checklists to track your to-dos right inside your notes. • Photos & Videos — Capture memories with images and video clips. Trim videos before adding them. • Voice Memos — Record audio notes when typing isn't an option. • Locations — Pin places to your notes with interactive maps. • URLs — Save and preview web links with one tap. • Scanner — Scan documents directly into your notes using your camera. • PDF — Attach and view documents natively. • Countdown — Set visual countdown timers for events, deadlines, and milestones. • Music — Search and embed your favorite tracks from a massive catalog. • Movies — Log films with posters, ratings, runtime, and director info. • Books — Track your reading with covers, authors, and page counts. • Flights — Look up real flights with route maps, terminals, aircraft details, and live status. IMPORT FROM ANYWHERE Use the Share Extension to send text, links, images, and checklists from Browser, Mail, Messages, or any app directly into Retro Notes. Content is automatically parsed into the right blocks — URLs become link blocks, bullet points become tasks, and images get their own photo blocks. No copy-pasting needed. RETRO THEMES THAT FEEL JUST RIGHT Customize your experience with handcrafted themes that give your notes real personality. Switch between classic, dark, and colorful palettes — every element from the toolbar to the blocks adapts to your chosen theme. WIDGET SUPPORT Pin your most important note to a home screen widget for instant access. See your content at a glance without even opening the app. TIME CAPSULE Seal a note and lock it until a future date — a week, a month, or a year from now. When the time comes, it unlocks automatically. Write letters to your future self, save birthday messages, or preserve memories for later. PRIVACY FIRST Your notes stay on your device. Retro Notes uses no cloud accounts, no sign-ups, and no tracking. What you write is yours alone. BUILT FOR iPHONE AND iPAD Fully optimized for both platforms. On iPad, take advantage of larger screens with the notebook editor for long-form writing, side-by-side organization, and an expanded block canvas. AVAILABLE IN 7 LANGUAGES Use Retro Notes in English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Turkish, or Simplified Chinese. The entire interface adapts to your language preference. Privacy Policy: https://retro-notes-privacy-ege-aybek-dev.netlify.app/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Reminder Panels1 screens
Retro Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

Reminder Panels and Retro Notes are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Reminder Panels sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per year and Retro Notes sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Reminder Panels ships an update weekly, Retro Notes every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Reminder Panels versus Retro Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReminder PanelsRetro Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developertakaaki024EGE AYBEK

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Reminder Panels

Subscriptions1
  • Hide Ads$1.991 Year
One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99
4 purchases

Retro Notes

Subscriptions4
  • Weekly$0.997 Days
  • Weekly$1.997 Days
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Annual$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Reminder Panels free?
Reminder Panels is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Retro Notes free?
Retro Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Reminder Panels or Retro Notes have ads?
Neither Reminder Panels nor Retro Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Reminder Panels or Retro Notes?
Reminder Panels ships an update weekly, and Retro Notes every 8 days. Most recently, Reminder Panels was updated on October 2, 2026 and Retro Notes on October 19, 2026.

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