# Dotly vs Barely Notes

The clearest difference is update cadence: Barely Notes at every 11 days against Dotly's every 5 weeks. Dotly's advantage is device support (4 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Dotly sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Barely Notes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Dotly ships an update every 5 weeks, Barely Notes every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dotly | Barely Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 11 days** |
| Size | 15 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Andriy Bezemchuk](https://appshunter.io/developer/1844098134) | [Ashley Cornette](https://appshunter.io/developer/6796440920) |

## What reviewers say

### Dotly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dotly-quick-capture/id6753629055)

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dotly Pro (Lifetime) | $2.99 | one-time |


### Barely Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/barely-notes/id6796440918)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bokashi Themes | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dotly free?

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

### Is Barely Notes free?

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

### Do Dotly or Barely Notes have ads?

Neither Dotly nor Barely Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Dotly or Barely Notes?

Dotly ships an update every 5 weeks, and Barely Notes every 11 days. Most recently, Dotly was updated on October 28, 2026 and Barely Notes 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.*