Grid Notes App vs Beaver Notes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Grid Notes App
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Instead of lists and folders, you get a zoomable grid where you can place notes wherever they feel right - cluster related ideas together, spread a project across the canvas, or keep a corner just for quick thoughts. FEATURES - Large canvas โ pan and zoom freely across a grid canvas - Place notes anywhere โ long press anywhere on the canvas to drop a note - Rich notes โ add a title, body text, color, images, videos, and PDF attachments - Pin notes โ lock important notes in place so they don't move while you pan - Search โ find any note instantly by title or content - Export & import โ back up all your notes as a single JSON file - Fully offline โ everything stays on your device, nothing is sent anywhere DESIGNED FOR FOCUS No accounts. No subscriptions. No ads. No cloud sync. Just you and your canvas. Grid Notes is built for people who think spatially - writers mapping out a story, developers tracking ideas across a project, students connecting concepts, or anyone who finds flat lists too limiting. PRIVACY All your notes, images, and files are stored locally on your device. Grid Notes does not collect any personal data and has no internet connection.
Beaver Notes
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Beaver Notes is a fast, native client for the open-source Beaver Notes server โ a self-hosted note wall you run on your own infrastructure. Write markdown notes. Drop in photos, videos and files. Everything lands on your server, nowhere else. No accounts to sign up for, no third-party services, no analytics, no telemetry. FEATURES โข Multi-server โ connect to as many self-hosted Beaver Notes servers as you need and switch between them from the sidebar. โข Local-first sync โ an outbox queue keeps everything working offline and catches up the moment the server comes back. โข Markdown editor โ bold, italic, code, lists, links, headings, with live preview. โข Attachments โ photos, videos, and arbitrary files. Images appear in an adaptive grid with a fullscreen viewer. Inline video playback. โข Upload progress โ per-file and per-message progress overlays, including retry on failure. โข Image editor โ crop, draw, filters, and optional optimization before upload. โข Video trim & optimize โ HEIC and H.265 encoding to keep uploads small. โข Quick input โ a compact composer at the bottom of the wall for fast capture. โข Search โ local full-text search with type, tag, pinned and date filters. โข Spotlight โ your notes are findable from the system search. โข Privacy โ biometric lock with Face ID / Touch ID, auto-lock timeout, and the option to hide previews in the App Switcher. โข Storage controls โ per-server cache size limit and one-tap erase. โข Multi-platform โ adapted layouts for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with native sidebar, context menus, swipe actions, and keyboard shortcuts. PRIVACY The app talks only to the self-hosted server you configure. No analytics SDKs. No third-party services. No developer-side backend. Read the full privacy policy at https://eduard256.github.io/beaver-notes-apple/PRIVACY.md REQUIREMENTS You need a running Beaver Notes server. The server is open source โ see https://github.com/eduard256/beaver-notes
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Grid Notes App at 13.0 against Beaver Notes's 17.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Grid Notes App | Beaver Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 โ better | 17.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jimmy Nordstrom | Artur Jeremicz |
In-app purchases
Grid Notes App
No in-app purchases
Beaver Notes
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Grid Notes App free?
Is Beaver Notes free?
Do Grid Notes App or Beaver Notes have ads?
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