burner notes vs Amethyst Writer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
burner notes
This app creates notes that automatically delete themselves after a set time. It offers various visual and haptic destruction effects for a unique experience. Notes can also be sent securely to nearby devices.
- Self-destructing notes with timers
- Multiple visual and haptic destruction effects
- Device-to-device note sharing (Whisper)
- Live activity countdown on lock screen and Dynamic Island
- Home screen widget for soonest-expiring note
- Customizable themes, sounds, and vibrations
- Photo attachment to notes
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stop deleting notes you write a quick thought in notes. a password. a flight number. a grocery list. a vent. then it sits there forever because you never go back to delete it. burner notes fixes that. write it, set a timer, and it's gone when you're done with it every note has a self-destruct countdown. when time runs out, it's permanently deleted from your device. no cloud. no account. no way to get it back. that's the point how it works write a note. pick a timer: 1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours, 1 day, or set a custom duration down to the minute. a live countdown appears on your lock screen and dynamic island. when the timer hits zero, it's gone. or burn it early no drafts. no archive. no undo destruction rituals when a note burns, it doesn't just disappear. it's destroyed with a full visual and haptic experience. each ritual is designed for a different feeling • classic burn - fire rises from below, words char to glowing embers, ash scatters • shredder - words split into strips and fall like paper scraps • deep sea - letters fade to ocean blue and drift upward as bubbles • black hole - text shrinks into a singularity. the void doesn't give things back • dissolve - acid eats through your words, letters corrode and drip away • avalanche - boulders fall. text crushes flat. dust settles whisper: device-to-device notes send a self-destructing note to someone nearby. no server. no cloud. no login. just encrypted peer-to-peer over bluetooth and wi-fi. they read it, it burns live everywhere • live activity countdown on your lock screen and dynamic island • home screen widget shows your soonest-expiring note make it yours • 5 extra destruction rituals with unique animations • 5 burn sounds: none, fire, whoosh, crumple, glitch • 4 vibration styles: standard, strong, double tap, pulse • 6 color themes: orange, white, red, cyan, green, purple • attach photos that burn with the note • recurring notes that auto-recreate on the same timer • scheduled notes with a future start time privacy is the architecture • zero data leaves your phone. ever • no account. no email. no sign-up • no analytics. no tracking. no telemetry • notes are permanently deleted when burned • app switcher shows a privacy screen • lock screen content is redacted when locked burner pro $2.99/month or $14.99 once forever unlocks 5 premium destruction rituals, premium sounds, vibration styles, 6 color themes, whisper, photo notes, recurring notes, scheduled notes, custom timers, and export the free version includes unlimited notes, classic burn ritual, fire sound, standard vibration, all preset timers, live activities, widgets, and full privacy requires iphone with ios 17 or later Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://gist.githubusercontent.com/ardenkg/517883cd1e4f814ce926d0d61f7bacb8/raw/gistfile1.txt
Amethyst Writer
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Simple. Private. Always with you. Amethyst is a minimalist writing app for novelists. We give you the tool and remove the friction, so you can just write. Built mobile-first, so there is nothing standing between your idea and the blank page. Write any time the idea strikes, preview your novel with beautiful formatting, and export your finished product. All on the go. Your readers are waiting: • Write scene by scene, or open a whole chapter and write straight through. • Organize your work into Parts and Acts. Reorder your outline whenever the shape of the book changes. • Add front matter — title page, dedication, epigraph — when you're ready for it. • Preview the finished manuscript end to end in a single view. • Search across everything you've written. • Keep characters and locations in Projects, so you stop losing track of eye colors and birth dates. Amethyst is built for novelists by novelists: • Absolute privacy. We don't collect personal information. No account, no login, no telemetry, no keystroke tracking. • Every word is written to local storage the moment you type it — no connection needed, ever. When you're connected, Amethyst backs up automatically. • Quiet metrics. Daily and weekly word counts, streaks, and your most productive days at a glance. Set a goal app-wide or per novel — or ignore all of that and just write. • Your words, exportable. Send a draft out through the iOS Share Sheet, AirDrop, or Files, to a beta reader, an editor, or a publisher. Nothing is locked in. Your data is yours: Amethyst never sends your novels or projects to third parties, and Shinano Labs will never sell or share your usage data. Your backups are store securely in your own iCloud storage, always available but always private. You can delete your account securely at any time (though we'd be sad to see you go!). Shinano Labs never has access to your writing or your profile data. Your stories deserve a home that respects your time and your privacy. Start your next chapter today. LEGAL STUFF • Privacy: https://www.shinanolabs.com/privacy-policy • Terms: https://www.shinanolabs.com/terms-of-service • Our Stance on Generative AI: https://www.shinanolabs.com/our-position-on-ai
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Amethyst Writer at every 3 days against burner notes's every 6 weeks. 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
Both are free to download. burner notes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Amethyst Writer sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
burner notes ships an update every 6 weeks, Amethyst Writer every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | burner notes | Amethyst Writer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Arden Knablein-Greene | Damien Anthony Lavizzo |
In-app purchases
burner notes
- Burner Pro$2.991 Month
- Burner Pro$14.99
Amethyst Writer
- Amethyst Plus - Monthly$0.991 Month
- Amethyst Plus - Yearly$12.991 Year
- Amethyst Plus - Lifetime$19.99









