Comparison

Secret Notes vs Ember

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

Head to head
About

Secret Notes

Features
Read full description

Secret Notes is the private notepad for everything that’s nobody else’s business: thoughts, lists, plans, recordings. No account, no tracking, no ads — your notes stay on your device, encrypted and behind PIN or Face ID. PRIVACY FIRST • App lock with PIN or Face ID, auto-locking after a timeout you choose • Note contents are stored encrypted on your device (AES-256) • Lock individual notes — content only shows after re-authenticating • No account required, no data collection, no ads SEVEN NOTE TYPES • Text with formatting (bold, italic, colors) and [[links]] between notes • Checklists with sub-items and smart auto-checking • Spreadsheets, Markdown, audio and video notes, tally counters ORGANIZE & FIND • Categories, nested folders, colors, pinning, ratings • Search and filters, custom sort by drag & drop • Reminders — including recurring — with an overview screen • “At a Glance” home screen, archive, and trash with auto-cleanup • Templates for recurring notes BACK UP & SYNC • Encrypted backups, portable between devices • Cloud backup and multi-device sync via your own server (Nextcloud/WebDAV) — your data lives only where you decide • Direct device-to-device transfer on your local network EVERYDAY EXTRAS • Widgets: quick add and recently edited notes • Share sheet: save text, links, images and files from other apps • Read notes aloud • Fully localized in English and German FREE & PRO Text, checklist and tally notes, app lock, note lock, categories, reminders and widgets are free. Secret Notes Pro (one-time purchase, no subscription) unlocks spreadsheets, Markdown, audio/video, folders, attachments, note history, PDF export, backups and device sync.

About

Ember

A fast and organized workspace for writing Markdown notes, storing PDFs, diagrams, and voice memos. It offers a vault for reusable prompts and syncs across Apple devices. Start for free with full editor access.

Highlights
  • Rich Markdown editor
  • Inline PDF and image support
  • Reusable prompt vault
  • Daily notes, folders, and tags
  • Instant search functionality
  • Private iCloud sync
  • Share Extension
Features
Read full description

Your notes should feel like home. Ember is a warm, fast place to think — Markdown notes, PDFs, diagrams, voice memos, and a vault of reusable prompts, all in one calm workspace that syncs across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. WRITE IN RICH MARKDOWN A live editor with real formatting: headings, tables, task lists, links, highlights, footnotes, and code — rendered as you type, never in your way. Bullets, numbers, and checkboxes feel native and effortless. MORE THAN TEXT Drop PDFs, images, diagrams, and voice notes right inline. Your references live beside your writing, so everything about a thought stays in one place. A VAULT FOR YOUR PROMPTS Keep the prompts you reuse for writing, research, and planning in a dedicated Prompt Vault — organized, searchable, and a tap away when you need them. STAY ORGANIZED, STAY FAST Daily notes, folders, tags, smart filters, and pinned notes keep things tidy, and instant search finds anything the moment you look for it. YOURS EVERYWHERE Ember runs natively on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with optional private iCloud sync, widgets, and a Share Extension for capturing from anywhere. FREE TO START Capture notes, PDFs, prompts, and attachments with the full editor — free, no account required. EMBER PRO Unlock advanced themes and alternate icons, premium writing and organization workflows, and deeper Prompt Vault tools, as a subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No accounts. No ads. No selling your words. Your notes stay on your device and your own iCloud. Make a home for your thinking. Download Ember Notes. TERMS & PRIVACY Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://embernotes.app/privacy

Screenshots

Secret Notes4 screens
Ember4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Secret Notes at every 3 days against Ember's every 10 days. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Secret Notes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Ember sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Secret Notes ships an update every 3 days, Ember every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Secret Notes versus Ember: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSecret NotesEmber
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.226.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB70 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndreas GraufRene DeAnda

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Secret Notes

One-time1
  • Secret Notes Pro$2.99
3 purchases

Ember

Subscriptions2
  • Ember Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Ember Pro Annual$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • Ember Pro Lifetime$99.99

Questions

Is Secret Notes free?
Secret Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ember free?
Ember is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Secret Notes or Ember have ads?
Neither Secret Notes nor Ember shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Secret Notes or Ember?
Secret Notes ships an update every 3 days, and Ember every 10 days. Most recently, Secret Notes was updated on September 28, 2026 and Ember on September 23, 2026.

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