Comparison

Caliu vs Harbor Notes

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

Head to head
About

Caliu

A minimalist markdown notes app designed for writers, offering a distraction-free writing experience with features like nested tags, reminders, and cross-device syncing. It allows for easy export and integration with external tools.

Highlights
  • Markdown writing with live formatting
  • Nested and colored tags for organization
  • Cross-device sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac
  • Reminders for notes
  • Export to various formats (Markdown, ePub, RTF)
  • REST API and MCP server for integration
  • Customizable themes
Features
Read full description

Caliu is a quiet place to write. Open it and start typing: no account, no setup, no clutter. Markdown takes shape as you type, everything works offline, and your notes stay on your device. When you want them everywhere, create a free account and they follow you across iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web. Sync is free, and it stays free. Writing comes first Headings, lists, tasks, quotes, code and links format as you write. There is no preview pane and no mode to switch: what you see is your note. The interface steps aside and leaves you with the page. Organised the way you think Tags instead of folders, because one idea can belong in many places. Nest them, colour them, and find any note in seconds. Link notes to each other and follow a thought from one to the next. Pin what matters now, and archive what you are done with without losing a word. There when you need it Native on iPhone, iPad and Mac, with a web app for everything else. Save things to Caliu straight from the share sheet, or add a thought from your Apple Watch. Yours, and only yours No ads. No tracking. Nothing you write is used to train AI. Your notes live on your device first and sync encrypted, and Caliu is built in the EU under GDPR. Export any note as Markdown or plain text whenever you like, share one as a public link when someone needs to read it, and delete your account at any time. Deleted means deleted. For tinkerers A full REST API and a built-in MCP server, so Claude, Cursor or your own scripts can read and write your notes, on your terms. Your first API key is free. Caliu Pro Writing, tags, sync and working offline are free. 50 notes free, forever, no account needed. Caliu Pro makes them unlimited and adds: • Version history: scroll back through any note and restore it in a tap • Every theme, font and app icon: 22 colour themes, each in light and dark, and 30 fonts • Drawing, right inside your notes • Unlimited attachments • More export formats: HTML, ePub, PDF, RTF and TextPack • Unlimited API keys, and connecting AI apps like Claude to your notes Subscribe monthly or yearly, or buy Pro lifetime once. Try it free before you decide. The monthly or yearly plan is an auto-renewing subscription: it renews unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and you can manage or cancel it anytime in your App Store account settings. Made with care by a small, independent team of one. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://caliuapp.com/privacy

About

Harbor Notes

Capture, organize, and securely store all your notes, tasks, files, and scanned documents. This native app offers instant search, offline access, and optional end-to-end encryption for ultimate privacy.

Highlights
  • Rich notes with checklists and tables
  • Notebooks, stacks, and tags for organization
  • Document scanning and voice memos
  • Instant search with OCR
  • Offline-first native apps
  • Optional end-to-end encryption
  • Evernote import
Features
Read full description

Harbor is your private second brain — a fast, native notes app for people who want to remember everything and own it for life. Capture notes, organize them into notebooks, tag anything, attach photos and files, scan paper documents, sketch ideas, and record voice memos. Then find any of it in seconds — Harbor's search even reads the text inside your images and scans. REMEMBER EVERYTHING • Rich notes with checklists, tables, images, links, and highlights • Notebooks and stacks that keep every part of your life organized • Tags that cut across notebooks • Tasks with due dates, right beside your notes • Scan documents with your camera; sketch with your finger or Apple Pencil • Voice memos and file attachments of every kind • Instant search across everything — including the text inside images and scans (OCR) YOURS, EVERYWHERE • Truly native apps for iPhone, iPad, and Mac — no web wrapper • Offline-first: your notes live on your device and sync automatically • The full web app at app.harbor.my from any browser • A web clipper that saves articles and pages straight into your notebooks PRIVATE BY DESIGN • No ads. No selling your data. No training AI on your notes. Ever. • Optional end-to-end encryption locks down your most sensitive notes so that no one — not even us — can read them • Export everything anytime in open formats. You are never locked in. SWITCHING FROM ANOTHER NOTES APP? Import your Evernote notebooks (.enex files) with the Mac or web app — your notebooks, tags, and attachments sync straight to your iPhone and iPad. SIMPLE, HONEST PRICING Harbor is free for up to 50 notes, 3 notebooks, and 20 tags — no credit card required. When you outgrow the free plan, Harbor Unlimited removes every limit: • $9.99/month or $99/year • Unlimited notes, notebooks, tags, tasks, and files • A written price-lock promise in our terms: your price won't go up for at least 3 years Subscriptions are billed to your Apple ID and renew automatically until cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. And even if you stop paying, you can always read and export your notes — Harbor never holds your data hostage. Privacy Policy: https://harbor.my/privacy/ Terms of Use: https://harbor.my/terms/ Questions? A real person answers: help@harbor.my

Screenshots

Caliu4 screens
Harbor Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Caliu at free against Harbor Notes's freemium. Harbor Notes's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Caliu sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Harbor Notes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Caliu against 5.0 for Harbor Notes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 6 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Caliu ships an update weekly, Harbor Notes every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Caliu versus Harbor Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCaliuHarbor Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings56 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size201 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarc TorrellesCloudmanic Labs, LLC

Customer experience

Caliu

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Harbor Notes

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Caliu

Subscriptions2
  • Caliu Pro - Monthly3 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Caliu Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • Caliu Pro Lifetime$44.99
2 purchases

Harbor Notes

Subscriptions2
  • Unlimited — Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Unlimited — Yearly$99.001 Year

Questions

Is Caliu free?
Caliu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Harbor Notes free?
Harbor Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Caliu or Harbor Notes?
Caliu and Harbor Notes are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 6 ratings respectively.
Do Caliu or Harbor Notes have ads?
Neither Caliu nor Harbor Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Caliu or Harbor Notes?
Caliu ships an update weekly, and Harbor Notes every 3 days. Most recently, Caliu was updated on November 2, 2026 and Harbor Notes on October 31, 2026.

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