Comparison

Quicknotes Journal vs Branchnote

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

Head to head
About

Quicknotes Journal

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QuickNotes Journal is a simple, private journaling app designed to keep your thoughts organized and completely under your control. All entries are stored locally on your device. There are no accounts, no cloud sync, and no data collection. Your journal stays with you. Key Features • Create and edit journal entries quickly with text, photos, and audio • Organize entries using customizable tags and topics • Search and filter entries by date, text, or tag • View detailed insights into writing habits, streaks, and milestones • Clean, focused layout with simple navigation across entries and stats • Export your journal anytime to TXT, CSV, or JSON • Backup and restore data locally with full ownership of your data • Optional one-time purchase for advanced statistics (no subscriptions) Privacy First by Design QuickNotes Journal works entirely offline. Your data never leaves your device. No logins, no cloud servers, and no third-party analytics. Simple and Focused The interface is built to stay out of the way so you can focus on writing. Whether you log quick notes, track daily habits, or keep an offline work diary, QuickNotes Journal keeps things straightforward and reliable. Built for Long-Term Use Your entries are stored in a fast local database and remain accessible even if you migrate devices using your manual backups. You control your data at every step. QuickNotes Journal is ideal for anyone who wants a fast, private, and dependable journaling experience without unnecessary complexity or recurring fees.

About

Branchnote

Organize your thoughts with a unique branching system, where each topic has its own container. Write and format notes using Markdown, with a convenient toolbar for easy styling. Secure your notes with a passcode or biometrics, and easily back them up.

Highlights
  • Organize notes by topic branches
  • Markdown formatting with toolbar
  • Full-text search with highlighted excerpts
  • Passcode and biometric lock
  • Notes backup and restore functionality
Features
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Branchnote is a notes app organized around branches — named containers, one per topic, with every note living in exactly one of them. Branches can hold sub-branches, as many levels deep as you like. Every branch is its own feed. Type at the top to add a note, and pin one to keep it at the top of the branch. No account needed. Open the app and start writing. ORGANIZE BY TOPIC Make a branch for work, recipes, reading, half-formed ideas — whatever you actually keep notes about. Add sub-branches to any branch, like Recipes/Desserts/Cookies. Move a note, or a whole branch with everything in it, whenever something ends up in the wrong place. WRITE IN MARKDOWN Headings, bold, italics, and links that render as cards. Bullet, numbered, and checkbox lists, nested up to four levels, with checkboxes you can tick right in the note. Formatting renders as you type, and a toolbar above the keyboard applies any of it without having to remember the syntax. FIND ANYTHING Full-text search across every note, ranked by relevance, with matching excerpts pulled out and your search terms highlighted in the results. LOCK IT Set a passcode and Branchnote locks every time you return to it. Unlock with your passcode, or with biometrics if your device supports it. Your notes stay covered in the app switcher. BACK IT UP Copy your notes into a single file and save it wherever you like, then restore it whenever you need to.

Screenshots

Quicknotes Journal4 screens
Branchnote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Branchnote at none against Quicknotes Journal's 1. Branchnote also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Quicknotes Journal's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Quicknotes Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Branchnote asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Quicknotes Journal ships an update every 3 weeks, Branchnote weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Quicknotes Journal versus Branchnote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterQuicknotes JournalBranchnote
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB39 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRyan BairBranchnote LLC

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Quicknotes Journal

One-time1
  • Premium$3.99
None

Branchnote

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Quicknotes Journal free?
Quicknotes Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Branchnote free?
Branchnote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Quicknotes Journal or Branchnote have ads?
Neither Quicknotes Journal nor Branchnote shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Quicknotes Journal or Branchnote?
Quicknotes Journal ships an update every 3 weeks, and Branchnote weekly. Most recently, Quicknotes Journal was updated on October 8, 2026 and Branchnote on October 5, 2026.

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