TXBoard vs HelixNotes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TXBoard
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TXBoard turns your iPad into an always-on home information display. Mount it on a wall, place it on a desk, or keep it by the entryway: time, date, and weather stay readable at a glance, even from across the room. Core panels Clock: bigger and clearer Large digital clock faces are easy to read from a distance. The layout adapts to portrait and landscape, with optional seconds, lunar date, and seasonal term information. Calendar: the whole month on one screen A full monthly calendar shows holidays, lunar dates, solar terms, custom anniversaries, and countdowns. On Apple platforms, it can also surface today's incomplete Reminders so important plans stay visible. Weather: quiet and glanceable See current temperature, feels-like temperature, conditions, and the next few days of forecast. Use automatic location or add cities manually; updates stay useful without getting in your way. Built for long-running displays - Low CPU and network usage to help reduce power consumption - Stable always-on operation for older iPads - Automatic panel rotation, so the display keeps working without manual switching - Low-interaction design: set it up once and let it stay useful Thoughtful details - Light, dark, and system theme modes - Simplified Chinese, English, and Japanese interface support - Custom backgrounds and colors to match your space - Clear information hierarchy for both close-up and distance viewing Great for - Entryways, living rooms, bedrooms, and studies - Desks and workspaces where an old device can become useful again - Guest rooms, shops, classrooms, and other always-on information boards Privacy - We do not collect personal information - Location is used only after your permission and only for local weather - Your configuration stays on your device Give an unused iPad a practical second life as a calm, readable home screen.
HelixNotes
A private, open-source Markdown note-taking app that keeps your data on your device. Organize notes with notebooks, tags, and wiki links, and utilize advanced features like mathematical notation and diagrams.
- Local Markdown storage
- Visual and source code editor
- Notebooks, tags, and wiki links
- Task management and calendar views
- KaTeX and Mermaid diagram support
- Version history and backups
- Optional WebDAV sync
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HelixNotes is a private, open-source Markdown notes app. Your notes remain standard Markdown files under your control. No account is required, and HelixNotes has no company-operated cloud. Write with a clean visual editor or switch to source mode when you want direct access to the Markdown. Organize your work with notebooks, tags, wiki links and full-text search. Features include: • Tasks collected from checklists across your notes • List and calendar views with priorities and due dates • Wiki links and an interactive graph view • Daily notes with a built-in calendar • Markdown tables, code blocks and syntax highlighting • KaTeX mathematical notation and Mermaid diagrams • Outline navigation and tag autocomplete • Version history and automatic backups • Light, dark and customizable themes • Optional WebDAV sync with your own server • Optional AI tools using your own provider Nothing leaves your device unless you enable a feature that connects to an external service. Your notes stay readable outside HelixNotes, without a proprietary format or platform lock-in. HelixNotes is free software released under the GNU AGPLv3. Its source code is publicly available on GitLab.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: HelixNotes at none against TXBoard's shown. TXBoard's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On price, in-app purchases, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
TXBoard ships an update every 2 weeks, HelixNotes monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TXBoard | HelixNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 55 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mianchi TianXin Technology Co., Ltd. | Yuri Karamian |
In-app purchases
TXBoard
No in-app purchases
HelixNotes
No in-app purchases









