JotBox vs CustosNotes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
JotBox
A fast, private scratchpad for capturing ideas, creating checklists, and writing longer notes. Offers rich formatting, organization tools, and robust privacy features. Syncs across devices via iCloud.
- Rich text formatting (bold, italic, lists, images)
- Collapsible outlines for long notes
- Checklists with easy ticking
- Local privacy password and biometric protection
- Optional iCloud sync
- Markdown export (GitHub, Obsidian)
- Recycle Bin for deleted notes
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Your thoughts, minus the filing cabinet. JotBox is a fast, private scratchpad for iPhone and iPad. Catch an idea, make a checklist, or work through a longer note without deciding where to file it first. Open JotBox and start typing. A blank page is always ready, your notes live in one simple timeline, and rich formatting is there when you need it. WRITE AND FORMAT - Bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, text color, and highlight - Headings with a collapsible outline for jumping through long notes - Bullets, numbered lists, and checklists you can tick without opening the keyboard - Paragraph alignment, indent, and outdent - Links and inline images from your photo library, camera, clipboard, or the Share Sheet - Formatted paste that keeps structure without bringing along foreign fonts and colors - Paste from Markdown to turn Markdown text into rich formatting MAKE IT YOURS - Choose which note actions appear in the top bar or More menu - Reorder the formatting bar and add dividers between tools - Adjust the editor font, text size, spacing, and margins - Choose light, dark, or system appearance - Export your settings or bar layouts as files to share with someone else FIND AND ORGANIZE - Search note text with snippets and highlights - Pin go-to notes and sort manually or by most recent - On iPad, keep an outline beside the note while you write - Mark reference notes read-only - Protect selected notes with a local privacy password and optional Face ID or Touch ID on supported devices - Undo a deletion or restore notes from the Recycle Bin - Use Keep tags to protect notes from automatic Recycle Bin cleanup KEEP YOUR NOTES YOURS - No JotBox account required - Optional iCloud sync with JotBox on iPhone, iPad, and Mac - Separate iCloud Drive backups and restorable backup files - Export or copy Markdown in GitHub or Obsidian format - Export PDF, copy text, or share a note - No ads and no analytics Use keyboard shortcuts with a connected hardware keyboard, including on iPad. Try all features free for 7 days. Keep editing, creating, and managing notes with a one-time JotBox Pro purchase. No subscription. Your existing notes remain available to view, copy, share, and export after the trial ends.
CustosNotes
This app keeps your important notes visible at the top of your screen, in the Dynamic Island, on your Lock Screen, or in the status bar. It allows for quick voice input and easy pinning until you're done with the task.
- Pin notes to Dynamic Island
- Display notes on Lock Screen
- Voice-to-text input
- Set reminders by time
- Type notes manually
- Dark mode support
- Offline functionality
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Most notes apps give you a list. Lists are where things go to be forgotten. CustosNotes keeps the note where you cannot miss it: the top of your screen. Hold the circle, say the thing, let go. Then tap once and that note stays pinned — in the Dynamic Island, on your Lock Screen, in your status bar — until you decide it is done. HOW IT WORKS • Hold the circle and speak. One button, no menus, no cursor to find. • Your phone's own recogniser writes it down, in your language. • Let go and the note lands. It starts switched off; you choose which ones earn a spot up top. WHERE IT STAYS • Dynamic Island — the mark and the time, beside the camera (iPhone 14 Pro and later). • Lock Screen — the whole note, readable without unlocking. • Live Activities & Status Bar — pinned notifications and status updates that stay visible until you dismiss them. REMINDERS, WITHOUT THE CEREMONY Tap the clock, spin the dial, done. It saves as you turn. No date to pick — a time that has already passed means tomorrow — and nothing to confirm. ALSO • Type instead of speaking, for when you cannot talk. • English and Spanish, app and mic together. • Dark mode that follows your phone. • No account, no sign-up, no server. Your notes live on your phone. CustosNotes does one thing. It makes sure you do not forget it and your data does not get out of your device.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CustosNotes at none against JotBox's 1. CustosNotes also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 5 weeks). JotBox's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). 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
Both are free to download. JotBox sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. CustosNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for JotBox against 5.0 for CustosNotes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.
JotBox ships an update every 5 weeks, CustosNotes every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | JotBox | CustosNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Daniel Bragilevsky | Juan Martin |
Customer experience
JotBox
CustosNotes
In-app purchases
JotBox
- JotBox Pro$3.99
CustosNotes
No in-app purchases








