HotJot Notes vs Better Keep
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Text-to-Save workflow
- Organize into Stacks
- Visual Timelines
- Total Privacy
- Export to Markdown
- No ads
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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.
Better Keep
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Capture a quick idea, plan your day, or give a longer note room to grow. Better Keep brings rich-text notes, checklists, photos, sketches, and voice recordings together in one private notes app. A PLACE FOR EVERYDAY IDEAS Write a journal entry, collect study notes, plan a project, or keep a shopping list handy. Add headings, lists, links, text colors, and highlights when a note needs more structure. Attach photos and sketches to keep the details together. FIND WHAT YOU NEED Organize notes with labels, folders, colors, and pinned cards. Search your collection, archive completed notes, and set reminders for things you want to return to. WRITE OFFLINE An account is required. After signing in, create, edit, search, and organize local notes without an internet connection. Core local note-taking is free. CONTINUE ON ANOTHER DEVICE WITH PRO Pro adds real-time, end-to-end encrypted cloud sync across your approved devices. Note titles, content, and supported attachments are encrypted on your device before syncing. Some operational metadata, such as labels and timestamps, remains outside the encrypted payload; see betterkeep.app/security for details. VOICE NOTES YOU CAN FIND AGAIN Record audio alongside your notes. On supported native devices, an on-device Whisper model can turn recordings into searchable text. A model download needs a connection, transcription accuracy varies, and voice transcription is not available on Web. FREE AND PRO Free includes unlimited local notes, rich-text editing, checklists, labels, folders, reminders, offline use after sign-in, and up to five PIN-locked notes. Pro adds encrypted cloud sync and unlimited locked notes. Check the current price and billing options in the app before subscribing. BRING YOUR EXISTING NOTES Import a supported Google Takeout archive on your device. Review the import report for skipped or unsupported items before moving your full collection. Use Better Keep on iPhone, iPad, and Mac and Web. Some features vary by platform. Source code is publicly available under CC BY-NC 4.0. Start with one note. Make room for the ideas you want to keep.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HotJot Notes at none against Better Keep's 2. Better Keep's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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. Better Keep sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. HotJot Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.
HotJot Notes ships an update every 2 months, Better Keep every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 6, 2026.
| Parameter | HotJot Notes | Better Keep |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 53 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Sandstorm Innovations LLC (US) | Foxbiz Software Private Limited |
In-app purchases
HotJot Notes
No in-app purchases
Better Keep
- Better Keep Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
- Better Keep Pro Yearly$20.991 Year









