TRMNL Companion vs Barely Notes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TRMNL Companion
This app syncs your Calendar, Health, and Reminders data to create personalized ePaper dashboards. It allows for custom plugins and connects to a public marketplace for extended functionality, offering a focused experience without subscription fees.
- Personalized dashboards
- Calendar integration
- Health data sync
- Reminders integration
- Custom plugin support
- Public marketplace access
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Connect Calendar, Health, Reminders, and Home data to TRMNL for personalized dashboards that keep you focused. TRMNL is an ePaper device that you buy once, then own forever with no subscription fees. You can build custom plugins or connect to 100s available in the public marketplace. This application is a companion for iOS users who want to access additional data from their phone and other devices.
Barely Notes
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Barely is a minimalist note app. One note at a time. No folders. No tags. No noise. Write what matters right now. Archive when done. Start fresh. Time-aware The app shifts with you. Warm mornings. Clean middays. Deep evenings. The tone changes automatically, or set it manually. Weekly surface Your archived notes surface back to you for seven days. Review, restore, or let them fade away. After a week, they're gone. Camera Capture a photo or record a video directly into your note. Share it however you want. Widgets See your active note at a glance. Small, medium, and large home screen widgets. Lock screen widgets. Live Activity on your lock screen and Dynamic Island. Bokashi themes Five curated color gradients inspired by the traditional color vocabulary of Japan. Sakura, Matcha, Sumi, Kumo, and Akatsuki. Each theme changes your app icon to match. One-time purchase. No subscription. Barely enough. Exactly right.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TRMNL Companion at none against Barely Notes's 1. TRMNL Companion also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Barely Notes's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 6 months). On price, ads 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. Barely Notes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. TRMNL Companion asks for nothing beyond the download.
TRMNL Companion ships an update every 6 months, Barely Notes every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TRMNL Companion | Barely Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (5 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 11 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TRMNL | Ashley Cornette |
In-app purchases
TRMNL Companion
No in-app purchases
Barely Notes
- Bokashi Themes$2.99
Questions
Is TRMNL Companion free?
Is Barely Notes free?
Do TRMNL Companion or Barely Notes have ads?
Which is updated more often, TRMNL Companion or Barely Notes?
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