Comparison

Trace vs Nubble Notes

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

Head to head
About

Trace

A minimalist and private space for capturing thoughts, notes, lists, and memories. It offers a clean interface for free writing and quick searching, with optional Pro features for customization and enhanced security.

Highlights
  • Minimalist and calm interface
  • Free writing and reflections
  • Bullet and numbered lists
  • Quick entry search
  • Local-first private storage
  • Customizable themes (Pro)
  • App Lock with biometric support (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Your thoughts have a way of disappearing. Trace brings them back. Trace is a home for passing thoughts: ideas, notes, reflections, lists, and the things you don't want to lose. Catch one in three seconds, then get on with your day. Why people use Trace: - Open and write. No setup, no accounts, no folders to choose first - Bullet and numbered lists that continue as you type - Search everything you've ever written, including by date - Your draft is saved as you write, so a call or a crash can't take it - Deleted something by mistake? It waits 30 days - Export everything as Markdown or JSON, anytime, free - Light and Dark, free for everyone Built for everyday capture: - The idea you had in the shower - Something someone said that stuck - A list you need in ten minutes - The end of a long day Make Trace yours with Pro: - Cream, Sage, Midnight, and Cocoa themes - Four matching alternate app icons - App Lock with Face ID, Touch ID, or device passcode - Automatic iCloud sync on supported Apple devices Trace Pro is a one-time purchase. Light and Dark themes and journal export stay free for everyone. No account required. Trace runs no servers of its own. Your writing lives on your device, and Pro syncs it through your own iCloud.

About

Nubble Notes

Organize your thoughts visually with interconnected bubbles. Nest notes and ideas, tag them with confidence levels, and link related concepts. This app allows for flexible organization that adapts to your thinking process.

Highlights
  • Visual bubble organization
  • Nested notes and bubbles
  • Multi-bubble note placement
  • Confidence tagging system
  • Linked idea connections
  • Password-protected private bubbles
  • Import and search functionality
Features
Read full description

Nubble organizes your thoughts in visual bubbles. Create notes, nest them inside your bubbles, tag them by how sure you are, and link related ideas — so your notes reflect how you actually think, not just when you wrote them down. Most notes apps ask you to decide on a structure before you have anything to put in it. Nubble lets the pile exist, then makes it something you can see and move around. Features: Visual bubble organization — bubbles hold notes and other bubbles, as deep as you like One note can live in several bubbles at once, no duplicates Drag and drop to rearrange, with pages that grow as you do Confidence tags: Certain, Think About More, Not Sure, Could Be Wrong — or make your own Link notes with typed connections and jump between them Lock private bubbles behind a password Search, sort, filter, and pin Import existing notes from text or by pasting Dark and light mode Free to use. Start as a guest with everything stored on your device, or sign in to sync across devices.

Screenshots

Trace4 screens
Nubble Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Nubble Notes at none against Trace's 1. Nubble Notes also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Trace sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Nubble Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Trace against 5.0 for Nubble Notes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Trace ships an update every 2 months, Nubble Notes every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Trace versus Nubble Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTraceNubble Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size49 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPedro Gomes do NascimentoADAM JIANG LAI

Customer experience

Trace

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Nubble Notes

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Trace

One-time1
  • Trace Pro$2.99
None

Nubble Notes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Trace free?
Trace is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nubble Notes free?
Nubble Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Trace or Nubble Notes?
Trace and Nubble Notes are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Trace or Nubble Notes have ads?
Neither Trace nor Nubble Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Trace or Nubble Notes?
Trace ships an update every 2 months, and Nubble Notes every 5 days. Most recently, Trace was updated on October 13, 2026 and Nubble Notes on October 11, 2026.

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