HotJot Notes vs ExpandNote
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.
ExpandNote
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ExpandNote is an AI-powered note-taking app for capturing, organizing, and transforming your notes across devices. Write notes with markdown, add tags, dictate ideas with voice-to-text, and use AI Profiles to automatically process notes based on tags. Email-to-note lets you forward information into your notebook, while offline-first sync keeps your notes available when your connection is unreliable. Create, edit, search, favorite, archive, lock, and restore notes. Organize notes with tags and smart workflows. Use your own OpenAI, Anthropic, or OpenRouter API keys for AI-powered note workflows.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: ExpandNote at every 3 weeks against HotJot Notes's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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.
HotJot Notes ships an update every 2 months, ExpandNote every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HotJot Notes | ExpandNote |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 37 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sandstorm Innovations LLC (US) | Altitude Information Systems LLC |
In-app purchases
HotJot Notes
No in-app purchases
ExpandNote
No in-app purchases









