Comparison

FirstSeed Notes vs Parchment

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

Head to head
About

FirstSeed Notes

Capture thoughts, organize with notebooks and tags, and transform them into actionable ideas. Record audio, get AI-powered transcripts and summaries, and collaborate in real-time. Syncs across devices via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Markdown editor with smart formatting
  • Audio recording and AI transcription
  • AI-powered summarization and action items
  • Notebooks, sections, and tag organization
  • Real-time collaboration and sharing
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Export notes as Markdown or PDF
Features
Read full description

FirstSeed Notes is a beautifully designed notes app that helps you capture your thoughts and turn them into ideas you can build on. Write down what's on your mind, organize it with notebooks and tags, and come back to it anytime. From quick notes and to-do lists to meeting recordings and study notes, FirstSeed Notes keeps your thinking and your plans in one place. Write Comfortably - A clean, simple editor that's easy to use every day - Markdown support and smart formatting - Add tables, equations, images, and links - Adjust font size and line spacing to suit your style - See character, word, and line counts at a glance - Export notes as Markdown or PDF Stay Organized - Organize notes with notebooks, sections, and tags - Keep important notes close with Favorites - Jump back to recent notes instantly - Manage tasks with to-do lists - Highlight key sentences and review them all in one place Record and Summarize - Record audio and get a transcript automatically - Turn transcripts into summaries, meeting minutes, action items, study notes, and more with AI AI Agent - Just ask the AI Agent to find, organize, tag, and move your notes Sync and Share - Sync your notes across your devices with iCloud - Share a single note or an entire notebook and edit together in real time - Invited members can join for free Your notes are synced and shared through iCloud. Some features require a subscription or a lifetime purchase. About Subscription: Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. Terms of Use: https://firstseed.io/terms.html

About

Parchment

This app combines your writing, plans, calendar events, and reminders into a single, private space. It offers a quiet environment for daily journaling, note-taking, and planning, with added support for handwriting and drawing on iPad.

Highlights
  • Daily journal entries by date
  • Calendar events alongside writing
  • Reminders in daily view
  • Apple Pencil handwriting and drawing
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Widgets for quick agenda view
  • Export tools for writing backup
Currently charting
Read full description

Parchment is a private daily journal that brings your writing, plans, calendar, and reminders together in one quiet place. It uses Apple's Reminders and the system calendar to bring your task and events together. Open today and start writing immediately. Your calendar events and due or overdue reminders can appear above your journal entry, giving you the context of the day without switching apps. Capture notes, reflect on what happened, plan what comes next, or use Parchment as a simple daybook for work and life. On iPad, Parchment also supports handwriting and drawing with Apple Pencil, so typed notes and handwritten thoughts can live together on the same day. Parchment is built for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with iCloud sync available through your private iCloud account. There is no Parchment account to create, no advertising, and no third-party analytics SDKs. Features include: - Daily journal entries organized by date - Calendar events shown alongside your writing - Due and overdue reminders in your daily view - Reminder completion from inside the app - Apple Pencil handwriting and drawing on iPad - iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac - Widgets for a quick look at your agenda - Shortcuts, Siri, and App Intents support - Spotlight indexing for finding past entries - Export tools for keeping a copy of your writing - Custom appearance, fonts, and themes Parchment is for people who want a journal that understands the shape of their day. It gives you one place to write what happened, see what is coming up, and keep a private record over time.

Screenshots

FirstSeed Notes4 screens
Parchment4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: FirstSeed Notes at Free against Parchment's $4.99. FirstSeed Notes also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Parchment's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ratings volume (314 vs 1). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and device support 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

FirstSeed Notes is free to download; Parchment costs $4.99 up front. FirstSeed Notes sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Parchment asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

FirstSeed Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Parchment has 314 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 72% of FirstSeed Notes's written reviews are positive against 79% of Parchment's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FirstSeed Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, Parchment every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
FirstSeed Notes versus Parchment: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirstSeed NotesParchment
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.8 (314 ratings)
Positive reviews72.2% of reviews78.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1314 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#38 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size116 MB138 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFirstSeed IncChris Lawley

Customer experience

FirstSeed Notes

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive72.2%
Neutral11.1%
Negative16.7%

Parchment

All ratings250 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral1.6%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews133 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral9.8%
Negative11.3%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

FirstSeed Notes

Subscriptions4
  • Personal Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Team Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Personal Yearly1 Month trial$26.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Team Yearly1 Month trial$95.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$49.99
None

Parchment

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is FirstSeed Notes free?
FirstSeed Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Parchment free?
Parchment costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, FirstSeed Notes or Parchment?
FirstSeed Notes is rated higher. FirstSeed Notes averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Parchment averages 4.8 from 314 ratings.
Do FirstSeed Notes or Parchment have ads?
Neither FirstSeed Notes nor Parchment shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FirstSeed Notes or Parchment?
FirstSeed Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Parchment every 6 days. Most recently, FirstSeed Notes was updated on November 7, 2026 and Parchment on November 5, 2026.

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