Comparison

Jotdown vs 3 Seconds Memo

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

Head to head
About

Jotdown

Features
Read full description

Jotdown is an extremely simple place to write down ideas, thoughts, and anything else on your mind. Most notes apps have become too cluttered. Folders, formatting, tags, toolbars, templates, and endless options can get in the way when all you want to do is write something down. Jotdown solves that by staying intentionally minimal. No folders. No clutter. No complicated system to manage. Just open the app and start typing. Every note is saved automatically and shown in a clean timeline, so you can write things down quickly without organizing, naming, sorting, or setting anything up. With Jotdown, you can: • Write instantly with no setup • Keep your notes in a simple timeline • See an automatic timestamp for every note • Edit everything inline • Copy or delete notes with a quick swipe action The experience is intentionally stripped down. It works well for quick thoughts, reminders, social media drafts, caption ideas, or anything you simply want to get out of your head. Private by default: • What you write in Jotdown is private to you • Jotdown does not read or collect your notes • By default, your notes stay on your device Unlock the full version with a one-time purchase to get: • iCloud sync across devices • Face ID protection • Export all your notes No subscriptions or recurring fees. Ever. Jotdown is built for people who do not want another complicated notes app. Just a calm, lightweight, and minimal place to write things down. Made with love in Tokyo. Privacy Policy: https://jotdown.framer.website/privacy Terms of Service: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

3 Seconds Memo

This app allows for rapid note-taking and idea capture, opening directly to a creation screen. It offers offline functionality, local data storage, and organizational tools like categories and tags. Premium features include ad-free usage, data export, and custom categories.

Highlights
  • Immediate memo creation on launch
  • Offline functionality
  • Local-only data storage
  • Organize with categories and tags
  • Attach photos to memos
  • Lock Screen widget for quick access
  • Export to Markdown and CSV (Premium)
Features
Read full description

3-Second Memo is a simple notepad app for quickly writing down and saving ideas, notes, and content ideas the moment they come to mind. ■Concept Instead of complex features, 3-Second Memo focuses on letting you write as quickly and easily as possible. It helps you capture ideas you might otherwise think, “I’ll write it down later,” and use the app casually as your personal idea notebook. ■Features of 3-Second Memo - When you launch the app, the memo creation screen opens immediately. - Works offline. Use it anytime, anywhere, whether on the subway or on a plane. - Your memo content is saved only on your own device. It is never used for AI training or similar purposes. - To improve the app, we collect only usage statistics, such as the number of times memos are written. ■Main Features - Start writing immediately after launching the app - View saved memos in chronological order - Organize memos clearly with categories and tags - Convenient offline access - Attach photos to memos to save visual notes, references, and ideas - View attached photos as an album from the category list page - Add a launch widget to the Lock Screen for quick access to memo creation - Local-only data storage. Your data is not saved on the operator’s servers. ■Premium Benefits - Use the app comfortably without ads - Export to Markdown and CSV for easy integration with AI and other tools - Add custom categories, making it possible to manage notes by projects that suit you, such as “Streaming Ideas” or “Development” - Copy memos by category in bulk, so you can easily move each category into other tools ■Important Notice Before using this app, please review the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy below. Japanese - Terms of Use: https://3s-memo.tea-19.com/ja/terms/ - Privacy Policy: https://3s-memo.tea-19.com/ja/privacy/ English - Terms of Use: https://3s-memo.tea-19.com/en/terms/ - Privacy Policy: https://3s-memo.tea-19.com/en/privacy/

Screenshots

Jotdown4 screens
3 Seconds Memo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Jotdown at none against 3 Seconds Memo's shown. 3 Seconds Memo's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support 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. Jotdown sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and 3 Seconds Memo sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 6 level
Jotdown versus 3 Seconds Memo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJotdown3 Seconds Memo
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS1816.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB72 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYugi MottaAiju Kawase

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Jotdown

One-time1
  • Jotdown Full Version$3.99
2 purchases

3 Seconds Memo

Subscriptions2
  • Montly Plan1 Month trial$2.991 Month
  • Annual Plan1 Month trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Jotdown free?
Jotdown is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 3 Seconds Memo free?
3 Seconds Memo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Jotdown or 3 Seconds Memo have ads?
3 Seconds Memo shows ads; Jotdown does not.
Which is updated more often, Jotdown or 3 Seconds Memo?
Jotdown ships an update weekly, and 3 Seconds Memo weekly. Most recently, Jotdown was updated on October 7, 2026 and 3 Seconds Memo on October 6, 2026.

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