JotBunker vs Beaver Notes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
JotBunker
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JotBunker is a note-taking app for your phone and your computer. You jot on your phone. You work and store in your Bunker, a secure computer on your home network. Sync happens over your local Wi-Fi when you choose. No cloud. No accounts. No data ever leaves your network. FOUR WORKSPACES โข Jots: Six numbered slots for quick capture. Each slot holds text, drawings, photos, voice recordings, and file attachments. Fill the slots, sync them to your computer, and clear them for the next round. โข Lists: Todos and checklists. Rename categories, reorder items, check things off on either device. Changes merge when you reconnect. โข Locked Lists: Gate codes, lock combos, membership numbers, safe combinations. Protected behind biometrics and auto-locked the moment you navigate away. โข Scratchpads: Six freeform text areas. Start a thought on your computer, pick it up on your phone. HOW SYNC WORKS Pair once by scanning a QR code. After that, tap Sync whenever you're on your home network. All network traffic is encrypted end-to-end with NaCl. Nothing goes through an external server. From your computer, download jots as plain files (.txt, .jpg, .m4a, .pdf) into folders you choose. Use them with anything: search tools, scripts, a PKM system, or just File Explorer. OPEN SOURCE JotBunker source code is publicly available under the GPL-3.0 license at github.com/johnbrantly/jotbunker. The companion desktop app is available at jotbunker.com.
Beaver Notes
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Beaver Notes is a fast, native client for the open-source Beaver Notes server โ a self-hosted note wall you run on your own infrastructure. Write markdown notes. Drop in photos, videos and files. Everything lands on your server, nowhere else. No accounts to sign up for, no third-party services, no analytics, no telemetry. FEATURES โข Multi-server โ connect to as many self-hosted Beaver Notes servers as you need and switch between them from the sidebar. โข Local-first sync โ an outbox queue keeps everything working offline and catches up the moment the server comes back. โข Markdown editor โ bold, italic, code, lists, links, headings, with live preview. โข Attachments โ photos, videos, and arbitrary files. Images appear in an adaptive grid with a fullscreen viewer. Inline video playback. โข Upload progress โ per-file and per-message progress overlays, including retry on failure. โข Image editor โ crop, draw, filters, and optional optimization before upload. โข Video trim & optimize โ HEIC and H.265 encoding to keep uploads small. โข Quick input โ a compact composer at the bottom of the wall for fast capture. โข Search โ local full-text search with type, tag, pinned and date filters. โข Spotlight โ your notes are findable from the system search. โข Privacy โ biometric lock with Face ID / Touch ID, auto-lock timeout, and the option to hide previews in the App Switcher. โข Storage controls โ per-server cache size limit and one-tap erase. โข Multi-platform โ adapted layouts for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with native sidebar, context menus, swipe actions, and keyboard shortcuts. PRIVACY The app talks only to the self-hosted server you configure. No analytics SDKs. No third-party services. No developer-side backend. Read the full privacy policy at https://eduard256.github.io/beaver-notes-apple/PRIVACY.md REQUIREMENTS You need a running Beaver Notes server. The server is open source โ see https://github.com/eduard256/beaver-notes
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: JotBunker at 15.1 against Beaver Notes's 17.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | JotBunker | Beaver Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | โ |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac โ better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 โ better | 17.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | John Brantly | Artur Jeremicz |
In-app purchases
JotBunker
No in-app purchases
Beaver Notes
No in-app purchases









