Comparison

roamOS vs Private Notes

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

Head to head
About

roamOS

Seamlessly integrate your Roam Research knowledge base into your daily workflow. Capture ideas instantly, access notes via system search, and view tasks with customizable widgets without interrupting your focus.

Highlights
  • Instant capture via Siri and shortcuts
  • Customizable home screen widgets
  • System-wide search integration
  • Natural language queries
  • Cross-device compatibility (iPhone, iPad, Mac)
  • One-time purchase with lifetime updates
Features
Read full description

You've built the perfect knowledge system in Roam. But it's locked away from where you actually work. Your breakthrough insights hit during Zoom calls, but opening Roam breaks your flow. Every TODO check means app switching. Every lookup interrupts your momentum. Your second brain can't help if you can't access it. roamOS bridges your knowledge and your workflow. Finally, your Roam graph works everywhere you do. Capture thoughts instantly via Siri, access notes through system search, and see your TODOs in beautiful widgets. No more app switching. No more lost insights. Instant Capture That brilliant idea hits during a meeting? Capture it instantly with Siri voice commands, keyboard shortcuts, or the quick launcher. Your thoughts flow directly into Roam without breaking focus. Beautiful Widgets Transform your morning routine with customizable widgets that surface exactly what you need. Your TODOs, recent notes, and daily reminders - right on your home screen where you'll actually see them. System-Wide Access Your knowledge becomes part of your system. Press Command+Space on Mac or swipe down on iPhone - search for any thought and jump directly to context. Your Roam graph integrates seamlessly with Spotlight search. Natural Language Queries Ask naturally and get instant results. "Yesterday's TODOs," "meetings this week," or "notes about pricing" - no Datalog required. Just think and ask. Complete Integration Works beautifully across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Your second brain follows you everywhere - menubar access, Siri shortcuts, system search, and gorgeous widgets that actually help. Built by Roam users, for Roam users. Stop switching apps to access your thoughts. Your knowledge system deserves to work as hard as you do. One-time purchase. Lifetime updates. No subscriptions. Perfect for knowledge workers, researchers, writers, and anyone building their second brain in Roam Research.

About

Private Notes

This app transcribes and summarizes audio recordings entirely on your device, ensuring complete privacy. It offers real-time transcription, AI-generated summaries of key points and action items, and supports multiple languages, all without requiring an internet connection or account.

Highlights
  • 100% on-device processing
  • Real-time transcription
  • AI-powered summaries
  • Multilingual support (10 languages)
  • Offline functionality
  • Export in Markdown
Features
Read full description

Your meetings stay private. Every word, every summary, every action item - processed entirely on your device. No servers. No uploads. No accounts. Just you and your notes. COMPLETELY OFFLINE - TRULY PRIVATE Unlike other AI notetakers that upload your audio to cloud services, Private Notes - AI Note Taker processes everything using Apple Intelligence directly on your iPhone. Your sensitive work discussions, confidential calls, and personal voice memos never leave your device. No internet required (except for time you subscribe). Sync is off by default. No data collection. Period. REAL-TIME TRANSCRIPTION Watch your words appear instantly as you speak. Private Notes - AI Note Taker uses Apple's speech recognition for real-time transcription with minimal latency. AI-POWERED SUMMARIES Stop wasting hours reviewing recordings. When your meeting ends, Apple Intelligence instantly generates: • Comprehensive narrative summary • Key points and highlights • Important decisions made • Action items with assignees • Main topics and themes discussed • Handles recordings of any length with full context preserved. MULTILINGUAL SUPPORT Transcribe in 10 languages: English, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. DESIGNED FOR PRIVACY FROM DAY 1 • Zero data collection - we literally cannot access your data • No account required - start recording in seconds • Audio never leaves your device - all processing happens on-device • Optional encrypted iCloud backup - sync transcripts across devices • Works in airplane mode - recording and AI work fully offline • Encrypted local storage - iOS-level security built in • No analytics or tracking - your usage is your business SIMPLE AND POWERFUL FEATURES • One-tap recording with elegant, intuitive interface • Background recording - switch apps without stopping your session • Full searchable transcript with accurate timestamps • Beautiful dark mode support • Compact app size - no bloated AI models to download • Export transcripts and summaries in Markdown DEVICE REQUIREMENTS AI summaries require Apple Intelligence enabled device. Speech transcription works on all devices. WHY PRIVATE NOTES - AI NOTE TAKER Most AI notetakers and voice recorder apps process your voice on remote servers. That means your confidential discussions - therapy sessions, doctor visits, legal consultations, salary negotiations, business strategies - travel through the internet and sit on someone else's computer indefinitely. Private Notes - AI Note Taker is different. We built this offline note taker from the ground up to be 100% local and on-device. No compromises. No "mostly private" half-measures. Paid users who want backup can enable optional iCloud sync - encrypted by Apple, with no third-party access. Sync is off by default, and we still can't see your data. When you delete a recording, it's gone forever - because we never had access to it in the first place. PERFECT FOR • Lawyers and legal professionals • Business professionals who value confidentiality • Students and academic researchers • Journalists and content creators • Anyone who wants AI without surveillance FREE TO TRY Start recording with Private Notes - AI Note Taker for free and experience truly private AI note-taking. No account required, no time limits. Start recording with Private Notes for free — no account required, no time limits. Get 3 recordings per month, real-time transcription, AI summaries, and export features - all processed 100% on your device. When you're ready for more, upgrade to Premium: • Unlimited recordings • Full export and sharing • Optional encrypted iCloud sync • Monthly or yearly subscription options — cancel anytime Download Private Notes - AI Note Taker and experience the future of note-taking — intelligent, instant, and completely private. Terms of Use: https://privatenotes.app/terms-of-use

Screenshots

roamOS3 screens
Private Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Private Notes at 100% against roamOS's 33%. Private Notes also leads on price (Free vs $19.99) and rating (5.0 vs 1.0). roamOS's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). On ads, device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Private Notes is free to download; roamOS costs $19.99 up front. Private Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. roamOS asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Private Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Private Notes has 11 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of roamOS's written reviews are positive against 100% of Private Notes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

roamOS ships an update every 4 days, Private Notes every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
roamOS versus Private Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterroamOSPrivate Notes
Price$19.99Free — better
Rating1.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings111 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRyan SonnekApp Incubator Inc.

Customer experience

roamOS

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Private Notes

All ratings11 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

roamOS

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Private Notes

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly Plan3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Monthly Plan$4.991 Month
  • Yearly Plan$24.991 Year

Questions

Is roamOS free?
roamOS costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Private Notes free?
Private Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, roamOS or Private Notes?
Private Notes is rated higher. roamOS averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Private Notes averages 5.0 from 11 ratings.
Do roamOS or Private Notes have ads?
Neither roamOS nor Private Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, roamOS or Private Notes?
roamOS ships an update every 4 days, and Private Notes every 3 weeks. Most recently, roamOS was updated on October 9, 2026 and Private Notes on September 29, 2026.

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