Comparison

Self Mail vs GoodNote

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

Head to head
About

Self Mail

Features
Read full description

--> Most features completely free! --> Pro unlocks unlimited at less than $1/month Never lose a great idea again. Note To Myself is the fastest way to capture thoughts, ideas, reminders and tasks - and send them straight to your inbox. No friction. No fuss. YOUR INBOX IS YOUR SECOND BRAIN You already live in your email. It is where you actually follow up on things. So why are your ideas dying in note-taking apps you never open? Note To Myself fits right into your existing workflow. No new system to learn. No extra app to check. Your ideas land where you already work. THE TWO SYSTEMS YOU ACTUALLY NEED Most productivity advice tells you to use 10 different apps. The truth is simpler. You only need two systems: 1. A storage system for tasks - whatever you already use 2. A funnel for new information - your inbox Note To Myself completes the funnel. Capture an idea in three seconds. It lands in your inbox. Done. HOW IT WORKS Open the app. Pick a note type - Idea, Reminder or Task. Write your note. Hit send. Your idea lands in your email in seconds, ready for when you need it. FEATURES - Three note types - Idea, Reminder and Task - Instant email delivery to yourself - Voice to text - speak your notes out loud - Photo attachments - up to 5 photos per note - Scheduled sending - send notes at a future time - Share Extension - send from any app on your phone - Home Screen Widget - quick capture without opening the app - Audio notes for voice memos - Secure notes delivered straight to your inbox - Full sent history and drafts - Manage tasks easily without switching apps FREE TO USE Most features are completely free - voice to text, photo attachments, share extension and home screen widget included. Free users can send up to 5 notes per day, which is plenty for most people. Need more? Pro unlocks unlimited daily sends and scheduled sending for less than a coffee per month. SECURE BY DESIGN Your notes are delivered via SendGrid - the same trusted email infrastructure used by millions of companies worldwide. Notes go straight to your inbox and are never stored or shared. PERFECT FOR - Capturing ideas on the go - Sending yourself reminders - Voice notes while driving - Meeting follow-ups - Shopping lists and tasks - Quick note taking anytime - Building your second brain

About

GoodNote

Features
Read full description

Forget the tab graveyard. GoodNote saves every article, link, and story you want to read later - then strips away the clutter so you can actually read it. A clean, distraction-free reader. Your whole library synced across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. And it all stays offline, forever. SAVE FROM ANYWHERE - Share any page from Safari or any app straight into GoodNote - On Mac, drag a link in from your browser or just press โŒ˜N - Add links by hand, or let Shortcuts and App Intents do it for you - Everything is stored offline, so it's yours to read on a plane, a subway, or a dead-zone cabin READ THE WAY YOU LIKE - A beautiful reader view with no ads, popups, or cookie banners - Five reading themes and full typography control - text size, line spacing and typeface (Premium) - One tap flips back to the original web page whenever you want it - Highlight passages in six colors and add your own notes - Every highlight collects into a per-article Notebook FIND IT IN A SECOND - Full-text search reaches the title, the author, the tags, and the entire body of every article - not just titles - Organize with tags, custom lists, and stars - Smart lists gather what's unread, starred, untagged, or highlighted, with no setup at all - The Home Screen widget counts what's still waiting and shows the next few titles - A gentle daily reminder nudges you back to your reading PICK UP EXACTLY WHERE YOU LEFT OFF - Articles, highlights, tags, and your reading position all sync between devices - Start an article on iPhone, finish it on Mac at the very same paragraph - Syncs through your own iCloud - no account to create, no password, no email TAKE YOUR HIGHLIGHTS WITH YOU - Export any article and its highlights as clean Markdown (Premium) - Drops straight into Obsidian, Notion, or whichever editor you already live in MADE FOR THE MAC, NOT JUST RESIZED - A real three-column window: your lists, your articles, and the reader side by side - Full menu bar, keyboard shortcuts, and articles that open in their own windows - Bought GoodNote already? The Mac app is included. PRIVATE BY DESIGN - No account, no tracking, no analytics, no ads - Your reading list is yours alone. We never see it. START FREE. PAY ONCE IF YOU STAY. - Your first 30 articles are free - no trial countdown, no card up front - One payment unlocks unlimited articles, reading customization and Markdown export - No subscription, ever. Buy it once and GoodNote is yours to keep. Built natively for Apple - fast, light, and right at home on iOS, iPadOS, and Mac. Available in 12 languages.

Screenshots

Self Mail3 screens
GoodNote4 screens

Verdict

The call

Self Mail and GoodNote are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters โ€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Self Mail sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and GoodNote sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Self Mail ships an update weekly, GoodNote every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Self Mail versus GoodNote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSelf MailGoodNote
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeekly โ€” betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac โ€” better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size7 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJorrit BartoDang Nam Nguyen

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Self Mail

Subscriptions2
  • Note To Myself Pro$0.991 Month
  • Note To Myself Pro$4.991 Year
1 purchases

GoodNote

One-time1
  • GoodNote Premium$5.99

Questions

Is Self Mail free?
Self Mail is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GoodNote free?
GoodNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Self Mail or GoodNote have ads?
Neither Self Mail nor GoodNote shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Self Mail or GoodNote?
Self Mail ships an update weekly, and GoodNote every 2 weeks. Most recently, Self Mail was updated on October 20, 2026 and GoodNote on October 4, 2026.

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