# NembaNotes vs Shell Notes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NembaNotes at none against Shell Notes's 3. NembaNotes also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 5 weeks). Shell Notes's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Shell Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. NembaNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

NembaNotes ships an update every 9 days, Shell Notes every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NembaNotes | Shell Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nembanotes/id6755341737/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Size | 69 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nembala LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1632305981) | [Ivan Dotsenko](https://appshunter.io/developer/551628923) |

## What reviewers say

### NembaNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nembanotes/id6755341737)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Shell Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shell-notes-encrypted-vault/id6777039055)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Shell Notes Pro Weekly | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Shell Notes Pro Yearly | $12.99 | per year |
| Shell Notes Pro Lifetime | $17.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NembaNotes free?

NembaNotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Shell Notes free?

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

### Do NembaNotes or Shell Notes have ads?

NembaNotes shows ads; Shell Notes does not.

### Which is updated more often, NembaNotes or Shell Notes?

NembaNotes ships an update every 9 days, and Shell Notes every 5 weeks. Most recently, NembaNotes was updated on September 30, 2026 and Shell Notes on September 21, 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.*