Comparison

HotJot Notes vs Bamboo

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

Head to head
About

HotJot Notes

Capture ideas, photos, and thoughts quickly using a familiar text thread interface. Organize your life into chronological "Stacks" for focused streams of consciousness. Export your data easily in universal Markdown format.

Highlights
  • Text-to-Save workflow
  • Organize into Stacks
  • Visual Timelines
  • Total Privacy
  • Export to Markdown
  • No ads
Features
Read full description

Stop overthinking your notes. HotJot is the fastest way to capture ideas, photos, and thoughts using an interface you already know: a text thread. Organize your life into Stacks. These are focused, chronological streams of consciousness that feel like texting yourself. Whether it’s a fleeting thought, a photo of a receipt, or a project log, HotJot keeps it organized by time and topic without the heavy feel of other note-taking apps. Why HotJot? • The "Text-to-Save" Workflow: No friction. Just pick a Stack and start typing. • Visual Timelines: Every entry is automatically timestamped. Scroll back to see exactly when an idea struck. • Total Privacy: Your data never leaves your device or your personal iCloud backup. It’s in your control. • Own Your Data: Don’t get locked in. Export any Stack (or your entire library) into a clean .zip file containing universal Markdown files and your original photos or videos. • No ads: We hate ads as much as you do. HotJot is completely free for an introductory period, and if you get it while it's free you'll get upgraded for free later. Perfect for: • Project Tracking: Document progress with photos and quick notes. • Quick Capture: Save links, quotes, book recommendations, and "to-dos" before they vanish. • Personal Journaling: A space for your daily thoughts. • Shopping & Lists: Text your family’s requests into a dedicated Stack.

About

Bamboo

This app is a Markdown note-taking tool for organizing knowledge and utilizing AI features. It allows users to capture ideas, write long-form content, and connect notes with wiki links. AI assistance is available for drafting, summarizing, and brainstorming, with users controlling their AI provider.

Highlights
  • Markdown editor with syntax highlighting
  • Wiki link creation for connecting notes
  • AI assistance for drafting and summarizing
  • Organize notes into collections
  • Cross-device synchronization
  • Import and export content
Features
Read full description

Bamboo is a Markdown notes app for writing, organizing knowledge, and using AI on your own terms. Available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with Web Clipper support, Bamboo helps you capture ideas anywhere and continue working across devices. Capture quick notes, long-form documents, tasks, reminders, research, meeting notes, reading highlights, and personal knowledge. Bamboo keeps your notes in Markdown so they stay portable, readable, and easy to manage. WRITE AND CAPTURE Use a focused Markdown editor with syntax highlighting, task lists, tables, wiki links, footnotes, highlights, math, images, and attachments. Keep ideas, notes, reminders, and tasks together so writing, thinking, and planning stay in one place. ORGANIZE AND CONNECT Organize notes into collections for projects, areas, archives, or research spaces. Connect ideas with wiki links, pin important notes, star favorites, and build a knowledge base that stays easy to navigate as it grows. AI ASSISTANCE, UNDER YOUR CONTROL Bamboo Pro lets you connect supported AI providers and use assistant features directly in your notes. Draft, rewrite, summarize, brainstorm ideas, and work with selected content without leaving your workspace. You stay in control of the provider and model you use. KEEP YOUR NOTES YOURS Your notes stay in Markdown, making them easy to move, back up, and keep for the long term. Search across notes, revisit recent work, import and export your content, create backups, and keep your work available across devices with optional Bamboo Pro features such as iCloud Sync, HTML export, and PDF export. Bamboo includes optional auto-renewable monthly and yearly Pro subscriptions. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period. You can manage subscriptions in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://zhigui.github.io/app-docs/bamboo/privacy_policy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

HotJot Notes4 screens
Bamboo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HotJot Notes at none against Bamboo's 2. HotJot Notes also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Bamboo sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. HotJot Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for HotJot Notes against 5.0 for Bamboo. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 18, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
HotJot Notes versus Bamboo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHotJot NotesBamboo
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings2 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.1 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB56 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSandstorm Innovations LLC (US)志贵 陈

Customer experience

HotJot Notes

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bamboo

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

HotJot Notes

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Bamboo

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Pro7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Annual Pro7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is HotJot Notes free?
HotJot Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bamboo free?
Bamboo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, HotJot Notes or Bamboo?
HotJot Notes and Bamboo are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do HotJot Notes or Bamboo have ads?
Neither HotJot Notes nor Bamboo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HotJot Notes or Bamboo?
HotJot Notes ships an update every 2 months, and Bamboo every 2 months. Most recently, HotJot Notes was updated on September 18, 2026 and Bamboo on October 1, 2026.

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