# Private Notes vs HarkNote

The clearest difference is price: Private Notes at Free against HarkNote's $4.99. Private Notes also leads on ratings volume (11 vs 1). HarkNote's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and chart position (#125 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Private Notes against 5.0 for HarkNote. 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 split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Private Notes ships an update every 3 weeks, HarkNote every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Private Notes | HarkNote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | [5.0 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/private-notes-ai-note-taker/id6752633041/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/harknote/id6770582770/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **11** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#125** |
| Size | 13 MB | 27 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [App Incubator Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1527929929) | [Christopher Knuteson](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896755518) |

## What reviewers say

### 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 |


### HarkNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/harknote/id6770582770)

**Currently charting:** #125 Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

Record, transcribe, and summarize audio privately on your device. Features include speaker labeling, on-device AI for summaries and Q&A, and Apple Watch integration. Your data remains on your iPhone unless you choose to share it.

**Highlights:** On-device audio recording, Offline transcription, Speaker labeling, AI-powered summaries and Q&A, Apple Watch companion app, Calendar integration, Private data storage

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Private Notes free?

Private Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is HarkNote free?

HarkNote costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Private Notes or HarkNote?

Private Notes and HarkNote are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 11 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do Private Notes or HarkNote have ads?

Neither Private Notes nor HarkNote shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Private Notes or HarkNote?

Private Notes ships an update every 3 weeks, and HarkNote every 10 days. Most recently, Private Notes was updated on September 29, 2026 and HarkNote on October 8, 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.*