Comparison

Best Note Ever vs Done Diary

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

Head to head
About

Best Note Ever

Features
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A notes app that stays simple. Write a title on the first line, then keep going. Headings, bullets, numbered lists and checkboxes appear as you type, so there is no preview mode to switch to and no formatting bar to fight with. FORMATTING THAT GETS OUT OF THE WAY Type the shorthand and the markers disappear, leaving only the result. • # for a title, ## and ### for sections • - for a bullet • 1. for a numbered list • - [ ] for a checkbox you can tick with one tap • [text](https://...) for a link, showing the label instead of the URL Checked items get a strikethrough so you can see progress at a glance. Tap a checkbox anywhere, even while the keyboard is open. PHOTOS IN LINE Add a photo from your library and it sits in the note where you put it. Tap to open it full screen, pinch to zoom. Photos are resized on the way in, so a note full of pictures does not balloon. FIFTEEN COLORS, INCLUDING RAINBOW Give a note a color and the whole row is tinted with a soft gradient and an accent stripe, so you can find it without reading. Swipe for the next color, or press and hold to pick from all fifteen. One of them is a rainbow. BUILT FOR EDITING • Undo and redo, by button or Command-Z • Return continues a list; Return on an empty item ends it • Backspace at the start of a line removes the marker before joining lines • Arrow keys move between lines with a hardware keyboard • Drag to reorder, swipe to delete TAKE YOUR WRITING WITH YOU Export one note or all of them as .md files, with any photos collected into an images folder. Plain Markdown opens in almost anything, so nothing is locked in here. ON IPAD The list sits beside the note you are reading. Collapse the sidebar when you want the full width for one note. YOUR NOTES STAY YOURS No account, no sign-in, no sync service. The contents of your notes are saved on your device and are never sent anywhere. BUILT TO BE USABLE VoiceOver reads headings as headings. Text scales with your Dynamic Type setting, and the markers scale with it. Light and dark are both handled. ALREADY USING THE APP? Every note you wrote before this update opens exactly as it did, with the same plain text behavior. Nothing is reformatted and nothing is moved. If you want a note to use the new formatting, turn it on for that note from the menu, and turn it back off whenever you like. The app is free and shows a banner ad on the list screen.

About

Done Diary

Features
Read full description

Done Diary is a simple diary app for recording what you accomplished today and giving yourself credit for the small things. It is not made to push you to do more. It is made to help you notice what you finished, what you kept up with, and the small steps you took today. You can record what you did today, things you want to do later, and daily habits. At the end of the day, you can also add your mood and a short note to gently reflect on your day. Your records can be reviewed in Days by month. Use the list or calendar view to look back on what you have been building over time. Recommended for people who: ・want to focus on what they did, not what they could not do ・want a diary that is easy to continue ・want to track habits and small actions gently ・want to end each day with a little more self-recognition Done Diary is not about trying harder. It is about noticing what you already did today. Keep small records, and look back on your everyday progress.

Screenshots

Best Note Ever4 screens
Done Diary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Best Note Ever at none against Done Diary's 2. Best Note Ever also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly) and iOS requirement (18.4 vs 26.4). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Done Diary sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Best Note Ever asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Best Note Ever ships an update every 2 weeks, Done Diary monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 3 level
Best Note Ever versus Done Diary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBest Note EverDone Diary
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.4 — better26.4
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerryuya matsuoKaito Yoshimura

In-app purchases

None

Best Note Ever

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Done Diary

Subscriptions2
  • PremiumPlan(MonthlyPayment)$2.991 Month
  • PremiumPlan(YearlyPayment)$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Best Note Ever free?
Best Note Ever is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Done Diary free?
Done Diary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Best Note Ever or Done Diary have ads?
Both Best Note Ever and Done Diary show ads.
Which is updated more often, Best Note Ever or Done Diary?
Best Note Ever ships an update every 2 weeks, and Done Diary monthly. Most recently, Best Note Ever was updated on September 22, 2026 and Done Diary on September 9, 2026.

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