Comparison

HoldOn vs Notes

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

Head to head
About

HoldOn

This app intervenes when you open distracting applications, offering a variety of rotating messages to help you break the cycle of mindless scrolling. It tracks your usage, identifies your scroll type, and provides weekly reports without locking your device.

Highlights
  • Rotating nudges to prevent habituation
  • Identifies user's scroll type
  • Weekly usage reports
  • Pause nudges for specific periods
  • Tracks app opens and resistance instances
  • No device locking or timers
Read full description

Willpower doesn't work against an algorithm built by thousands of engineers. So Hold On doesn't ask for willpower. Every time you open Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or Snapchat, Hold On steps in with a nudge - a different nudge based on the moment Most screen time apps show you the same block screen so often you stop reading it after day three. Hold On has 500+ nudges that rotate so it never gets old, and never gets ignored. HOW IT WORKS Open a distracting app → Hold On shows up first, always. Read the nudge (funny, sharp, sometimes a little mean, never preachy). Decide: close the app, or continue in. Keep scrolling? Hold On comes back — every 5 minutes or so, not just once. So you are never left to Doomscroll FIND YOUR SCROLL TYPE After a week of app usage we find out your scroll type — The Night Owl, The Weekend Goblin, The Alarm Clock, and more. Share it with friends YOUR WEEKLY REPORT See exactly how much time went to which apps, how many times you opened them, and how many times you actually resisted. No shame, just the numbers. GOING SOMEWHERE? Pause nudges for a day, a weekend, or however long you need. So you dont need to uninstall the app all together, just Pause the nudges FREE VS PRO - Free: track and get nudged on 1 app. - Pro: unlimited apps, full nudge variety, full weekly reports. Hold On doesn't lock your phone or set a timer counting down to a fight with yourself. It just makes sure you never open distracting apps on autopilot again. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Use: https://hold-on-web.vercel.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://hold-on-web.vercel.app/privacy

About

Notes

Features
Read full description

Notes is a private, offline notebook for voice notes, transcripts, reminders, and sketches. Record in any language, dictate on your device, and find any word in seconds. Works fully offline. No account, no ads, no cloud sync. CAPTURE ANYTHING • Voice notes and meeting recordings, transcribed on your device in your chosen language • Dictate notes with on-device speech-to-text, with a full language picker • Scan documents and turn them into text with on-device OCR • Sketches, photos, videos, and any file, including PDFs, spreadsheets, and audio, shown like mail attachments • Rich text, checklists, and bullet or numbered lists REMEMBER TO ACT • Voice reminders, set up from a dedicated screen • Reminders and categories on every note • Turn any note into a real checklist, a clean outline, or a quick summary TALK TO YOUR NOTES Ask in plain language and get answers from what you've written: "What did I decide about the trip?" or "Show me my last 10 entries." Summaries and translations run on your device, and your note content is never sent to a third-party AI service. FIND AND STAY ORGANIZED • Find within a note with the in-editor find bar • Fast search by keyword, date, or media type • Find Duplicate Notes scans your collection and helps you merge near-identical entries • Archive volumes for notes you want out of your daily view but not gone for good MAKE IT YOURS • Backdrops and app-wide themes • Adjustable text size and archive density • Home screen widget with your recent notes • A quick tour on first launch, replayable any time from Settings PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Notes stay on your device. Nothing is uploaded, synced, or sold. • Lock individual notes with a password or Face ID • Deleted notes go to Trash first, so a stray tap never costs you a note • No account required to use the app Whether you keep a journal, a running list, meeting notes, or a place to think out loud, Notes is built to be entirely, privately yours.

Screenshots

HoldOn4 screens
Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Notes at none against HoldOn's 1. Notes also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. HoldOn sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month. Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HoldOn ships an update every 2 months, Notes every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
HoldOn versus Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHoldOnNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.618.6
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPardhasaradhi TirumalasettiRahul pahuja

In-app purchases

1 purchases

HoldOn

Subscriptions1
  • Hold On Pro$3.991 Month
None

Notes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HoldOn free?
HoldOn is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Notes free?
Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do HoldOn or Notes have ads?
Neither HoldOn nor Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HoldOn or Notes?
HoldOn ships an update every 2 months, and Notes every 4 days. Most recently, HoldOn was updated on October 31, 2026 and Notes on November 6, 2026.

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