FirstSeed Notes vs Parchment
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | FirstSeed Notes | Parchment |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.8 (314 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 72.2% of reviews | 78.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 314 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #38 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 116 MB | 138 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | FirstSeed Inc | Chris Lawley |
Customer experience
FirstSeed Notes
Parchment
In-app purchases
FirstSeed Notes
- Personal Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Team Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Personal Yearly1 Month trial$26.991 Year
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- Team Yearly1 Month trial$95.991 Year
- Lifetime$49.99
Parchment
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is FirstSeed Notes free?
Is Parchment free?
Which has better reviews, FirstSeed Notes or Parchment?
Do FirstSeed Notes or Parchment have ads?
Which is updated more often, FirstSeed Notes or Parchment?
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