# Private Notes vs CipherNote Pro

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Private Notes at none against CipherNote Pro's 3. CipherNote Pro's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. CipherNote Pro sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Private Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Private Notes ships an update fortnightly, CipherNote Pro every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Private Notes | CipherNote Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 3 days** |
| Size | 2 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Talal Aslam](https://appshunter.io/developer/1875842707) | [Ismail Balci](https://appshunter.io/developer/1877089265) |

## What reviewers say

### Private Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/private-notes-locknotes/id6759080631)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### CipherNote Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ciphernote-pro/id6759157831)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Pro | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly Pro | $39.99 | per year |
| CipherNote Pro Premium | $144.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Private Notes free?

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

### Is CipherNote Pro free?

CipherNote Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Private Notes or CipherNote Pro have ads?

Neither Private Notes nor CipherNote Pro shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Private Notes or CipherNote Pro?

Private Notes ships an update fortnightly, and CipherNote Pro every 3 days. Most recently, Private Notes was updated on September 30, 2026 and CipherNote Pro on October 3, 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.*