Comparison

Bastion Offline Password Mgr vs SteelNote

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

Head to head
About

Bastion Offline Password Mgr

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** Premium features in this app are free for a limited time. ** Your Passwords. Your Device. Your Control. Bastion is a fully offline, zero-knowledge password manager built for users who want absolute privacy. Your data never leaves your device β€” ever. No cloud sync. No tracking. No external servers. Just strong encryption and complete control. ..... Powerful Encryption Standards ..... Your entire vault is encrypted locally using AES-256, the same encryption standard trusted worldwide. Your master password is the only key. We use Argon2id β€” a modern, memory-hard key derivation algorithm β€” to generate your unique encryption key. Your master password is never stored and never transmitted. This is true zero-knowledge security. ..... 100% Offline by Design ..... Unlike cloud-based password managers: β€’ No data is transmitted β€’ No remote databases β€’ No third-party servers β€’ No account required Everything stays on your device. If you prefer maximum privacy and minimal attack surface, offline is the gold standard. ..... Secure & Convenient Access ..... Security doesn’t have to be inconvenient. β€’ Biometric unlock (fingerprint / face) β€’ Hardware-backed keystore integration β€’ Auto-lock protection β€’ Brute-force defense mechanisms β€’ Tamper verification safeguards Your vault locks itself when not in use. ..... Why Offline? ..... Cloud password managers introduce additional risk: β€’ Server breaches β€’ Credential leaks β€’ Account takeovers Bastion eliminates those risks entirely by removing the cloud from the equation. You are responsible for your master password β€” and that’s exactly the point. If you lose it, it cannot be recovered. That’s real zero knowledge. ..... Core Features ..... β€’ Store passwords securely β€’ Organize entries easily β€’ Copy credentials quickly β€’ Strong encryption architecture β€’ Clean, distraction-free interface β€’ No ads β€’ No subscriptions ..... Who Is This For? ..... Privacy-focused users Security professionals Minimalists Anyone tired of cloud breaches Terms of use: This app uses Apple's Standard End User License Agreement (EULA). https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

SteelNote

This app stores your notes as plain Markdown files on your device, ensuring you always own your data. It offers seamless syncing across Apple devices, instant search, and robust import options from other note-taking applications.

Highlights
  • Plain Markdown file storage
  • iCloud sync across Apple devices
  • Local full-text search
  • Import from multiple note apps
  • Link notes and see backlinks
  • Organize with folders and tags
  • Mark notes as private
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SteelNote is a notes app built on one promise: your notes are plain Markdown files that you own. Every note is a real .md file on your device, openable in the Files app or in any editor you like, today and years from now. No proprietary database. Nothing locked away. Your notes, truly yours. Because every note is plain text, you are never trapped. Read and edit them in SteelNote, in Files, or in any other Markdown app. If you ever move on, you take your files with you as they are, in an open format that lasts. Native on all your Apple devices. SteelNote is built natively for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Your notes sync across all of them through iCloud, with no third party account and no extra sign in. Start a note on your phone and finish it on your Mac. Find anything, instantly. A local full text index makes search immediate, even in large libraries. Link notes together, see backlinks, organize with folders and tags, and turn any line into a task. Private when you want it. Mark a note as private and it stays out of widgets and AI features. Your most sensitive notes remain yours alone. Bring everything with you. Import from Bear, Notion, Obsidian and Evernote, or from Markdown, TextBundle, Word, RTF, PDF and CSV files. Your folders and structure come along. Apple Notes works too, one note at a time, because Apple offers no bulk export. Everything you expect. Add images, PDFs and tables inline. Use checklists, footnotes and links. Reach your notes from Spotlight, Siri and widgets, and hand off between devices. An open format, now standard. Markdown is a first class type across Apple platforms, and SteelNote is built natively around it. Your files are open, portable and yours. Membership. SteelNote comes with a 14 day free trial, then a yearly plan or a one time lifetime purchase. You can cancel during the trial and pay nothing, or skip the subscription and choose the lifetime purchase instead. Sync is always included and never restricted. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. A yearly plan renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. You can manage or cancel anytime in your Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://steelnoteapp.com/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Bastion Offline Password Mgr4 screens
SteelNote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SteelNote at every 4 days against Bastion Offline Password Mgr's every 9 days. Bastion Offline Password Mgr's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Bastion Offline Password Mgr sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and SteelNote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bastion Offline Password Mgr ships an update every 9 days, SteelNote every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 6 level
Bastion Offline Password Mgr versus SteelNote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBastion Offline Password MgrSteelNote
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviewsβ€”100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 4 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetizationβ€”Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac β€” better
Requires iOS13.0 β€” better17.6
Further details β€” not scored
Size66 MB17 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperTRVRJ APPS LLCClaude Bezeaud

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Bastion Offline Password Mgr

One-time1
  • Bastion Password Manager$6.99
3 purchases

SteelNote

Subscriptions1
  • Annual14 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time2
  • Founder$44.99
  • Lifetime$79.99

Questions

Is Bastion Offline Password Mgr free?
Bastion Offline Password Mgr is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SteelNote free?
SteelNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Bastion Offline Password Mgr or SteelNote have ads?
Neither Bastion Offline Password Mgr nor SteelNote shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Bastion Offline Password Mgr or SteelNote?
Bastion Offline Password Mgr ships an update every 9 days, and SteelNote every 4 days. Most recently, Bastion Offline Password Mgr was updated on October 6, 2026 and SteelNote on October 14, 2026.

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