# roamOS vs Private Notes

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | roamOS | Private Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roamos/id6749782598/reviews) | **[5.0 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/private-notes-ai-note-taker/id6752633041/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **11** |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 6 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ryan Sonnek](https://appshunter.io/developer/1832078341) | [App Incubator Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1527929929) |

## What reviewers say

### roamOS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/roamos/id6749782598)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Private Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/private-notes-ai-note-taker/id6752633041)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Plan | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Plan | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly Plan | $24.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*