Comparison

Notestream vs Trinote

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

Head to head
About

Notestream

This app offers a private, chat-style notebook for quick note-taking. It focuses on speed and simplicity, allowing users to send thoughts like text messages without the pressure of traditional document formatting. Ideal for lists, memos, and everyday ideas.

Highlights
  • Chat-style note interface
  • Fast capture and search
  • Checkboxes and colored ribbons
  • Image support with captions
  • Channel archiving and restoration
  • Export to .txt and .csv
  • Full backup and import
Features
Read full description

Notestream is a beautifully simple chat-style notes app that makes quick-capture notes feel like texting yourself. Fast capture, easy search, and lightweight organization for everyday thoughts. Most notes apps push you toward documents and structure. Notestream keeps notes in a totally private chat-like thread, so you can type a thought, send it, and move on. It stays easy to skim and easy to find later with search. GREAT FOR • Quick notes during the day • To-do lists, grocery lists, and checklists • Meeting notes and action items • Light journaling and personal reflections • Brainstorms, idea dumps, and memos WHY IT’S DIFFERENT Notestream removes friction at the moment you need to capture something. Instead of opening a page, naming it, and organizing it, you just write like a text and send. • Feels like texting yourself — every note is a quick send in a chat-like thread • No document ritual — no blank page pressure or formatting rabbit hole • Built for small, frequent notes — memos, lists, ideas, and quick journaling • Fast review and retrieval — easy to skim, easy to search • Private by default — no account required WHO NOTESTREAM IS FOR • People who want speed over structure • People who already text themselves notes and want a better version of that workflow • People who hate “document mode” (pages, folders, formatting) • People who keep messy brain dumps — one-liners, half thoughts, links, quick lists • People who want a daily driver for small notes — memos, to-dos, groceries, ideas, journaling • People who value privacy and simplicity — a lightweight, no-fuss place to keep personal notes FEATURES • Multiple channels for separate topics • Checkboxes + colored ribbons • Add images (with optional captions) • Archive and restore channels • Export to plain-text open file formats like .txt or .csv • Full backup export/import • Highly customizable themes (dark + light included) PRIVACY • Offline-first: your notes are stored locally on your device • No account required Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://redflask-notestream.github.io/privacy/

About

Trinote

This app is a native iOS client for a self-hosted note-taking server, allowing users to browse, organize, and edit notes with rich formatting. It offers offline access, full-text search, and secure connections, keeping all data on the user's server and device.

Highlights
  • Browse and organize note tree
  • Full-text search and offline title search
  • Rich text editor with various content types
  • Support for attachments and files
  • iOS Share extension for capturing content
  • Offline caching for browsing and editing
  • Secure login with TOTP and Cloudflare Access
Features
Read full description

Trinote is a native, open-source iOS client for your self-hosted Trilium (TriliumNext) note server. Your notes stay on your server and your device — Trinote is a client only. Browse & organize Explore your full note tree with lazy loading, clones, and branches — the way Trilium models your workspace. Create, move, duplicate, and delete notes; keep favorites and recents at hand; optionally work with open-note tabs. Find anything Run full-text search on the server to jump to the right note fast. Offline, search titles in your cached notes. Use find-on-page once a note is open. Read & edit Open and edit text notes with a rich editor — formatting, lists, task lists, tables, callouts, code blocks, images, links, and math. Work with code, images, and files too. Also supported: canvas, Mermaid diagrams, mind maps, spreadsheets, geo maps, calendars, kanban boards, and presentations (availability can depend on your Trilium version). Attachments Add from Camera, Photos, or Files. Preview, download, rename, and share. Share & capture Save text, links, images, and files into Trinote via the iOS Share extension (Markdown becomes HTML). Manage public Trilium share links, or send notes to a nearby device over your local network. Stays useful offline Caches tree structure and note content so you can keep browsing and editing when the network drops. Changes sync when you’re back online. Full-text search and some live actions still need the server. Connect your way Sign in with your Trilium password (TOTP supported). Use multiple server profiles, and optional Cloudflare Access for protected setups. Appearance & security Choose light, dark, or system appearance, plus color themes and custom accents. Lock the app with a PIN and Face ID / Touch ID. Privacy Trinote does not host your notes. Your data lives on your Trilium server and your local device.

Screenshots

Notestream4 screens
Trinote4 screens

Verdict

The call

Notestream and Trinote both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Trinote's written reviews are positive against 0% of Notestream's. Trinote also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (15 vs 4). Notestream's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Notestream against 5.0 for Trinote. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 15 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 0% of Notestream's written reviews are positive against 100% of Trinote's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notestream ships an update every 3 weeks, Trinote weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Notestream versus Trinote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotestreamTrinote
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (15 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings415 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCalem ViluanVero Fide LLC

Customer experience

Notestream

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

Trinote

All ratings15 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Notestream

No in-app purchases

None

Trinote

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notestream free?
Notestream is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Trinote free?
Trinote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Notestream or Trinote?
Notestream and Trinote are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 15 ratings respectively.
Do Notestream or Trinote have ads?
Neither Notestream nor Trinote shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notestream or Trinote?
Notestream ships an update every 3 weeks, and Trinote weekly. Most recently, Notestream was updated on November 5, 2026 and Trinote on November 9, 2026.

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