# Ortel vs JotBox

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ortel at none against JotBox's 1. Ortel also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 5 weeks). JotBox's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. JotBox sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Ortel asks for nothing beyond the download.

Ortel ships an update every 3 days, JotBox every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ortel | JotBox |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jotbox-scratchpad/id6764747697/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [John Gallardo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1877906369) | [Daniel Bragilevsky](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895902180) |

## What reviewers say

### Ortel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ortel/id6759293356)

**In-app purchases:** none


### JotBox

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jotbox-scratchpad/id6764747697)

A fast, local-first scratchpad for quick notes, drafts, and lists. Offers rich text formatting, image attachments, and powerful search. Notes are private by default, with optional iCloud sync and backups.

**Highlights:** Rich text formatting, Image and camera capture, Full-text search and filters, Note locking and read-only mode, Export to multiple formats, Optional iCloud sync and backup

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| JotBox Pro | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ortel free?

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

### Is JotBox free?

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

### Do Ortel or JotBox have ads?

Neither Ortel nor JotBox shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ortel or JotBox?

Ortel ships an update every 3 days, and JotBox every 5 weeks. Most recently, Ortel was updated on October 20, 2026 and JotBox on October 11, 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.*