Side vs NembaNotes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Side
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Side-Note instantly transforms your spoken ideas into organised, actionable text. Speak your thoughts and watch them become clear notes, ready to transform into content, summaries, or task lists. With Side-Note, you can: * Capture ideas instantly with one-tap recording * Get accurate transcriptions in 34 languages * Organize notes with titles, tags, and dates * Transform ideas into blogs, scripts, and custom AI outputs * Create personalized AI transformation styles Who’s This For: Anyone who wants to capture ideas on the go — creators, students, professionals, or anyone who needs to remember and organise thoughts quickly. Privacy First: Your audio is never stored, and all transcriptions are end-to-end encrypted. Why Side-Note: Stop losing ideas. Stop fighting the blank page. Speak your mind, and let Side-Note handle the rest. Subscription Required: Side-Note is a subscription-based service. All features require an active subscription with flexible weekly, monthly, or yearly plans.
NembaNotes
A private and powerful note-taking app focused on simplicity and user data ownership. It offers rich text editing, effortless organization, and local data transfer without requiring an account or cloud storage.
- Privacy-focused, no accounts or cloud sync
- Rich text formatting with lists, tables, and images
- Organize notes with labels and background colors
- Instant search and quick sorting
- Local data transfer and backups
- Recycle bin for deleted notes
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NembaNotes is a private, powerful note-taking app designed for people who value simplicity, flexibility, and full ownership of their data. Everything you write stays on your device unless you choose to export or transfer it. No account needed, no automatic syncing, and no cloud storage. Whether you're jotting down quick ideas, managing task lists, or writing detailed documents, NembaNotes gives you the tools you need and gets out of your way. Key Features: ■ Privacy First • No accounts, tracking, or background syncing • Notes are saved securely on your device ■ Rich Text Editing • Format text with bold, italic, underline, strikethrough. • Add bullet lists, numbered lists, and checklists. • Adjust text alignment and direction (LTR/RTL). • Insert links, images, and editable tables. • Undo/redo, zoom controls, and find-in-note support. ■ Organize Effortlessly • Add multiple labels to each note. • Filter notes by label. • Choose a background color for visual grouping. • Instant search across titles and summaries. ■ Make It Yours • Light and Dark modes, or follow system theme. • Choose app language (RTL languages supported). • Customize your workflow, layout, and appearance. ■ Find and Sort Quickly • Instant search on note titles and summaries. • Sort notes by last updated or creation date. ■ Local Transfer and Backups • Export or import notes via CSV. • Transfer notes securely between devices on the same Wi-Fi network. • Optional passphrase, encryption, and compression during transfers. ■ Recycle Bin • Notes are soft-deleted into the Recycle Bin. • Restore or permanently delete notes later. • Use multi-select to act on several notes at once. No account. No ads in your notes. No cloud. Just your words, your way. ► Download NembaNotes and take back control of your notes today.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NembaNotes at none against Side's 3. Side's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (daily vs every 9 days). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. Side sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. NembaNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.
Side ships an update daily, NembaNotes every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Side | NembaNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Daily — better | Every 9 days |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | — | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 36 MB | 69 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Adam Southey | Nembala LLC |
In-app purchases
Side
- Side Note Pro Access (Weekly)$4.997 Days
- Side Note Pro Access (Monthly)$14.991 Month
- Side Note Pro Access (Annual)$119.991 Year
NembaNotes
No in-app purchases









