Secure Local Notes vs Scrib
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Secure Local Notes
Capture ideas, to-dos, and lists securely on your device. Your notes are encrypted and protected with biometrics or passcode, with no accounts or tracking required. Enjoy a simple, fast, and private note-taking experience.
- On-device encryption
- Biometric/passcode unlock
- Offline functionality
- No accounts or tracking
- Rich text editor
- Tagging and sorting
- Data export options
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Safe and Secure Notes is a fast, beautiful, and private place to capture everything that matters—ideas, to‑dos, lists, and more. Your data never leaves your device and is protected with industry‑standard encryption. Unlock with Face ID/Touch ID or your device passcode. No accounts, no subscriptions, no tracking—just your notes, safely stored on your iPhone or iPad. Why you’ll love it • Private by design: Notes are encrypted at rest on your device. Only you can unlock them. • Simple and fast: Open, jot it down, and get back to your day. No clutter, no distractions. • Notes and To‑Dos: Keep thoughts and tasks together, each with titles, tags, and rich body text. • Biometrics + Passcode: Secure access using Face ID/Touch ID with passcode fallback. • Works offline: Everything is stored locally. No connection required. • No accounts: Start immediately—no signup or personal data requested. • No analytics: We don’t collect or share your information. Period. Thoughtfully designed features • Clean editor: Write comfortably with a focused, distraction‑free interface. • Tags: Organize with simple comma‑separated tags; search across titles and tags. • Favorites: Star important notes to keep them at the top. • To‑Do mode: Quickly mark tasks complete while keeping an edit history and tags. • Smart sorting: Notes and to‑dos are ordered to surface what matters most. • Quick actions: Haptic feedback on saves and actions makes the app feel responsive and delightful. • Optional lock: Choose whether the app requires authentication on launch or after returning from the background. • Export your data: Create plaintext, RTF, PDF, or CSV exports. Optionally protect exports with a password. • Local storage: Your data is saved on device using modern, reliable storage technology. Security you can trust • On‑device encryption: Note bodies are encrypted using strong, modern cryptography. • Protected key: The encryption key is stored in the system Keychain with user‑presence required (biometrics or passcode). • Device unlock: Authentication uses the secure system prompt—no custom password logic. • Access control: Choose when the app relocks after being backgrounded. Designed for focus • Minimal, elegant interface that puts your content first. • Thoughtful defaults that keep you moving—no complicated setup. • Keyboard toolbar and smooth navigation for fast entry and review. Use cases • Daily journal and ideas • Project notes and meeting summaries • Shopping lists and quick reminders • Personal checklists and routines • Sensitive snippets you don’t want synced or shared Your data, your device Safe and Secure Notes is built around a simple promise: your notes belong to you. The app doesn’t upload, sell, or analyze your content. There are no hidden servers or third‑party SDKs. Everything runs locally, with encryption and system‑level protections you already trust. Roadmap We’re focused on quality, performance, and privacy. If you have feedback or requests, we’d love to hear from you. Summary • Private: encryption at rest; unlock with Face ID/Touch ID or passcode • Local: works fully offline; no accounts or tracking • Practical: notes and to‑dos with tags, favorites, and search • Portable: export to TXT, RTF, PDF, or CSV (optional password protection) Write freely. Organize simply. Keep it safe—with Safe and Secure Notes.
Scrib
Securely store and organize your notes locally on your device with robust AES-256 encryption. Features include plain text and Markdown support, folders, checklists, and a PIN lock for enhanced privacy. Import notes from other services and manage them easily.
- AES-256 encryption
- Offline note storage
- Plain text and Markdown support
- Folder organization
- Checklist functionality
- PIN lock and Vault
- Import from other apps
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Scrib keeps your notes on your iPhone. There is no account to create, no server to sync with, and no analytics or advertising code in the app. Every note is stored in an encrypted database inside the app's private container, with the key held in the iOS Keychain. WHAT SCRIB DOES • Notes. Write in plain text. Markdown is fine if you use it, and ignored if you don't. • Folders. Group notes into folders, filter the home screen by folder, and search folder names. Folders can be switched off in Settings without deleting anything. • Checklists. Turn any line into a checklist item. Items and plain text can sit in the same note. Tap an item to check it off. • Tap to edit. Tap anywhere in a note and the cursor lands where you tapped. • Colors. 44 note colors, plus 14 text colors that can apply to the title and body or the body only. • Find in note. Search inside a long note; matches are highlighted. • Search. Plain-text search across all notes, on the device. • Import. Bring in .txt and Markdown files, or exports from Google Keep, Simplenote and Evernote (.enex). Checklists in those exports arrive as live checklists. Files are read through the iOS file picker and parsed on the device. • Trash. Deleted notes go to a trash bin and are removed for good after 30 days. Restore any of them before then. • PIN lock. An optional 4 to 6 digit PIN protects the app. Attempts are rate limited. • Vault. A separate, PIN-protected space for notes you want kept apart from the main list. • Share Scrib. One tap in Settings hands a short line and the App Store link to the share sheet. • Languages. English, Arabic, German, Spanish, French, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil) and Simplified Chinese. HOW YOUR DATA IS PROTECTED • Encryption at rest. Every note is written to an AES-256 encrypted database. The key is generated on the device and stored in the iOS Keychain. • Safe upgrades. When the storage format changes, the migration completes fully or not at all, so an interrupted upgrade cannot leave notes half converted. • Key loss detection. If encrypted notes are found without their key, Scrib shows a recovery screen instead of quietly creating a new key. • Save on switch. Pending edits are written to disk the moment you switch apps. WHAT SCRIB DOES NOT DO • It does not make network requests. • It does not ask you to create an account. • It does not sync your notes anywhere. • It does not collect analytics or crash reports. • It does not show ads. • It does not charge for the features listed above. Scrib is built and maintained by one developer, Patrick Colton, also known as Beeswax Pat, a U.S. Army veteran. Questions and requests: beeswaxpat@gmail.com Privacy policy: https://scrib.blog/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Scrib at Free against Secure Local Notes's $1.99. Scrib also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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
Scrib is free to download; Secure Local Notes costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Secure Local Notes against 5.0 for Scrib. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
| Parameter | Secure Local Notes | Scrib |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Daniel Collinsworth | Patrick Colton |
Customer experience
Secure Local Notes
Scrib
In-app purchases
Secure Local Notes
No in-app purchases
Scrib
No in-app purchases









