Pinote vs Folio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
Pinote
Quickly capture and display tasks or reminders directly on your device's lock screen. Organize notes and checklists, schedule them to appear automatically, and sync them across your Apple devices. Recover deleted notes for up to 30 days and create file backups.
- Lock screen notes and checklists
- Pin notes or schedule automatic appearance
- iCloud sync across Apple devices
- Recover deleted notes
- Export notes as JSON or text
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Your next task. On your Lock Screen. A parcel to return before you leave. A question to ask at your next meeting. Write it in Pinote and pin it, so you can see your next task without opening the app. ⢠Notes and checklists Write freely, then focus on the next item in your checklist. ⢠Pin now or schedule a time Pin a note from the editor or choose when it should appear automatically. Lock Screen availability and updates depend on system settings and device conditions. ⢠Continue across devices Use iCloud to keep your notes across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. Each device displays notes in its own way. ⢠Recover deleted notes Recently Deleted keeps copies on this device for 30 days. After restoring a note, you can turn its pin and automatic schedule back on yourself. ⢠Keep a file backup Export a Pinote JSON backup and import it later without overwriting existing notes. Export as text to read your notes in other apps. Recently Deleted is stored separately on each device. No separate Pinote account is required. Cross-device sync uses iCloud. No ads appear on your Lock Screen.
Folio
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Folio keeps your notes, todos, and files together, and now you can plan them with the people you invite. Capture a thought in seconds, pin a note to your Lock Screen, and share a plan that everyone can edit on iPhone and Mac. NEW: PLAN IT TOGETHER ⢠Invite people to a note by email or with a single-use link ⢠Everyone who accepts can edit, with photos, files, and checklists included ⢠If two people change the same line, nothing is lost: theirs shows in the note and yours stays right below it as "Your edit" ⢠Accepting and editing shared notes is free. Sending invitations needs Folio Pro ⢠Report or block someone at any time SIGN IN ONLY IF YOU WANT TO ⢠Folio works without an account. Skip sign-in and your notes stay on your device ⢠Sign in with Apple or Google to share notes and take Folio Pro to your other devices ⢠With Folio Pro, your notes, todos, folders, and files stay in sync across iPhone and Mac ⢠Delete your Folio account from Settings at any time CAPTURE AND WRITE ⢠Jot down a note with the quick-add bar ⢠Write with Markdown, headings, checklists, quotes, and text colors ⢠Add code blocks with syntax highlighting, and tidy JSON with Format JSON ⢠Attach photos, files, and map locations to your notes ⢠Save where you are as a note with the Save This Place shortcut ⢠Create unlimited notes for free TURN PLANS INTO TODOS ⢠Keep standalone todos beside your notes ⢠Break a task into subtasks and check them off one by one ⢠Set due days or timed reminders, add labels, filter by Today or Tomorrow, and attach files KEEP THE IMPORTANT THINGS CLOSE ⢠Pin a note to your Lock Screen so it's there at a glance ⢠Set reminders on individual notes ⢠Export a note or a collection as text, Markdown, PDF, or CSV ⢠Restore deleted notes from Trash ⢠Require Face ID or Touch ID to open protected folder files FOLIO PRO ⢠Sync your whole library across your devices ⢠Send invitations to shared notes ⢠Organize notes and files in folders ⢠Improve your writing with on-device AI Enhance ⢠Pin more notes to your Lock Screen ⢠One-time purchase. No subscription. YOUR DATA No ads and no tracking. Without an account, your notes stay on your device, or in your own iCloud with Folio Pro. When you sign in, the notes you sync or share are stored on Folio's servers so they can reach your devices and the people you invite. They are encrypted in transit and at rest, but not end-to-end encrypted. AI Enhance runs on your device with Apple Intelligence, which needs a supported device and must be turned on. Usage analytics help us improve Folio. They're on by default, never include your note content, and can be turned off in Settings. The privacy policy has the details.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pinote at none against Folio's 1. Pinote also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). Folio's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 9 days). On price there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Folio sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pinote asks for nothing beyond the download.
Pinote ships an update every 9 days, Folio every 2 days. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.
| Parameter | Pinote | Folio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | ā |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 2 days ā better |
| Ads | Yes | No ā better |
| In-app purchases | No ā better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | ā |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch ā better | iPhone, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 ā better | 26.0 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | OKMIN LEE | Tom Weiss |
In-app purchases
Pinote
No in-app purchases
Folio
- Folio Pro$3.99









