Comparison

Private Notes vs Readvely

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

Head to head
About

Private Notes

Features
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LockNotes is a privacy-focused iOS app that lets you store personal notes securely on your device with built-in lock protection. Your data stays local, works offline, and is never uploaded to the cloud. Designed for speed, simplicity, and security, LockNotes gives you full control over your private information.

About

Readvely

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Readvely is an offline writing app for novelists and long-form fiction authors. No account required—create works, chapters, character notes, and story assets entirely on your device. Why Readvely? Stay focused Create a work and jump straight into Chapter 1. Manual Save plus autosave. Per-chapter font size, typeface, and color. Draft / Finalized status keeps drafts separate from finished chapters. Built for serial structure Organize by work and chapter—drag to reorder, swipe to delete, live word counts. Continue Writing on Studio takes you back to your last edited chapter. Import existing drafts From Works, import .txt, .rtf, or .html (EPUB import not supported). Auto-detects chapter headings like “Chapter N,” or import as a single body and split later. Supports UTF-8, UTF-16, GB18030, and more. Export .epub for sharing—convert to .txt first if you need to import an ebook. Library for story assets Keep ideas, characters, worldbuilding, and dialogue separate from your manuscript. Paste from the clipboard and pick a type, or import text files and review in the editor before saving. Link assets to multiple works and insert them from the keyboard bar or chapter editor. Characters & notes per work Each work has Chapters · Characters · Notes: chapter list, character profiles (with portraits and a relationship map), and in-work scratch notes. Project Bible on Studio opens your current work’s Characters or Notes view. Read like a reader Built-in reader with vertical scroll, horizontal paging, and page curl. Adjustable font size, line spacing, and Day / Eye Comfort / Night themes. Reading position is remembered for polish and proofreading. Track your progress Studio shows today’s net word gain (edits and deletions count—honest stats), stage, and total words. Tap today’s count for Writing Activity: 3-, 7-, or 30-day charts plus custom ranges and daily goals. Search everything Find works, chapters, and assets in one place—tap a result to open the editor. Export & backup On a work’s detail page, tap Settings → Export to save as UTF-8 plain .txt or .epub for sharing or reading in other apps. Settings → Backup & Restore packs all works, chapters, assets, and images into a .zip for Files—restore when you switch devices. Make it yours Custom work stages (ideation, outline, draft, revision, completed), asset types, and tags. Light, Dark, or System appearance. Premium Free: 1 work. Need another slot? The first New Work tap shows an About Work Limits sheet (watch ad or continue); at the limit, Limit Reached offers a rewarded ad; or use Settings → Rewards (network required). Subscribe in Settings → Premium for unlimited works and no Rewards entry. Backup & Restore is available to all users. For you if… - You write web novels or long fiction - You need chapter-based drafting - You want lore, characters, and prose in separate places - You care about privacy and local-first data Good to know - Chapters are plain text—no rich text or Markdown rendering. - No cloud sync—use .zip backup for multiple devices. - Import, export, and backup use the system Files app and share sheet—no extra login. Open Readvely and write the story on your device. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Private Notes4 screens
Readvely4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Private Notes at none against Readvely's 1. Private Notes also leads on ads (none vs shown). Readvely's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.6). On price 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

Both are free to download. Readvely sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per month. Private Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Private Notes ships an update fortnightly, Readvely every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 2 level
Private Notes versus Readvely: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrivate NotesReadvely
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB90 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTalal Aslam欢 雒

In-app purchases

None

Private Notes

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Readvely

Subscriptions1
  • premium monthly1 Month trial$9.991 Month

Questions

Is Private Notes free?
Private Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Readvely free?
Readvely is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Private Notes or Readvely have ads?
Readvely shows ads; Private Notes does not.
Which is updated more often, Private Notes or Readvely?
Private Notes ships an update fortnightly, and Readvely every 5 days. Most recently, Private Notes was updated on October 14, 2026 and Readvely on October 8, 2026.

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