Comparison

Terminal Journal vs ZenNotes

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

Head to head
About

Terminal Journal

Read full description

Terminal Journal is a focused, offline-first journaling app with a retro terminal feel. Write daily entries with guided prompts, track goals and habits, and review progress with clear insights. Keep private reflections in your Vault, protected with Face ID/Touch ID/passcode. DISCLAIMER Due to the nature of the app being fully client-side and offline with zero tracking and minimal storage function, your data will be reset/lost if you delete and reinstall the app. Storage restoration features may be added in a near-future update. FEATURES • Guided and free journaling modes • Goal tracking with step progress • Habit tracking with calendar view • Insights graphs for consistency and trends • Vault for protected entries • Daily reminders and local notifications • Custom themes, fonts, and haptics • Fully offline, on-device experience PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your data stays on your device. No account required.

About

ZenNotes

This app allows you to create and manage notes using plain Markdown files. It offers flexible storage options, rich text formatting with live previews, and powerful organization tools like task management and note linking. Designed for both phone and tablet, it prioritizes user privacy with no accounts or tracking.

Highlights
  • Plain Markdown file storage
  • Live rich text previews
  • Wikilinks and #tags
  • Vault-wide task management
  • Table databases as CSV
  • Excalidraw drawing support
  • Share extension for quick capture
Features
Read full description

ZenNotes is a local-first markdown notes app for writing, organizing, and connecting ideas without giving up ownership of your files. YOUR NOTES, YOUR FILES Every note is a plain .md file in a vault you control. Start with storage on your iPhone or iPad, use iCloud Drive, or open a folder through the system document picker. Local and iCloud vaults work without an account. ZENNOTES CLOUD Connect an optional ZenNotes Cloud plan to: • Sync a vault across ZenNotes desktop and mobile • Sync notes and attachments • Create manual and automatic daily backups • Restore a full vault or a single note from a backup • Publish notes to the web and manage their public links Cloud never replaces the free local-first workflow. Use it only when you want hosted sync, backup, or publishing. WRITE IN MARKDOWN Use a focused editor with headings, lists, tasks, tables, code, links, wikilinks, tags, callouts, footnotes, and frontmatter. A mobile formatting bar keeps common actions close to the keyboard, and a pinch resizes the text to your eyes. RICH, OFFLINE PREVIEW Render KaTeX math, Mermaid diagrams, JSXGraph, function plots, tables, callouts, and more directly on your device. ORGANIZE YOUR WAY Pin your go-to notes and folders to the top, swipe rows to act on them, create and rename nested folders, browse tags, search the full vault, manage tasks, create periodic notes, and work with table databases stored as CSV. CAPTURE QUICKLY Create a quick note from the app or send text and links to ZenNotes from the iOS share sheet. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Start a note, open a recent one, or check today's tasks without opening the app. New Note also lives on the Lock Screen, and the widgets wear your theme. PRIVACY BY DEFAULT ZenNotes has no advertising or tracking. Local and iCloud notes stay in the storage you choose. When you enable ZenNotes Cloud, the account identity, connected-device information, and vault content needed for the Cloud features you use are sent to the ZenNotes service. Payment details are handled by Stripe. ZenNotes is open source. Your vault remains useful outside the app because it is made of ordinary files.

Screenshots

ZenNotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: ZenNotes at 3 against Terminal Journal's —. ZenNotes also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.2). On price and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Terminal Journal versus ZenNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTerminal JournalZenNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.9 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—11 — better
Update frequency—Every 2 days
Ads—No
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
Devices—iPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.215.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB81 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDANIEL NIKOLAS SZTURMLumary Labs LLC

In-app purchases

None

Terminal Journal

No in-app purchases

None

ZenNotes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Terminal Journal free?
Terminal Journal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ZenNotes free?
ZenNotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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