Comparison

Menu Bar Notes vs Sign PDF & PDF Editor

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

Head to head
About

Menu Bar Notes

Quickly capture thoughts, edit them across devices, and organize with markdown blocks and tabs. Notes sync privately via iCloud, with a 30-day trash recovery option. No accounts or data collection required.

Highlights
  • Block editor with markdown shortcuts
  • Collapsible toggle blocks
  • Tabbed notes with keyboard navigation
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Menu bar quick capture on Mac
  • 30-day trash recovery
Read full description

Easily reach into your menubar to quickly jot down a thought or reference, edit it on your synced iPhone and iPad app with your private iCloud keeping every device in step. No accounts or signups are needed and no data is collected. I always wanted a simple tool like this and I hope someone else finds it useful. On Mac, it sits in your menu bar. Click the icon or press ⌥⌘N from any app to open your notes, and click the icon again or press Esc to put them away. On iPhone and iPad, it's a clean, touch-first editor that stays out of your way. Markdown Style Blocks Every note is built from blocks: text, headings, collapsible toggles, to-dos with checkboxes, and code. Type shortcuts like "# ", "> ", or "[] " at the start of a line and the block transforms as you write. Toggles nest without limit, so a quick list can grow into a real outline. Browser Style Tabs Notes are tabs. Switch with ⌘1–⌘9, open a new note with ⌘T, close one with ⌘W. Privately Sync over iCloud- No Account Needed iCloud sync keeps iPhone, iPad, and Mac in step automatically. No account to create, no subscription — your notes live in your personal, private iCloud. Forgiving By Design Deleted notes and blocks go to the Trash, where they can be restored for 30 days. FEATURES • Block editor: text, Heading 1 and 2, toggles, to-dos, and code • Markdown-style shortcuts for instant block transforms • Collapsible toggle blocks with unlimited nesting • Duplicate any block along with its children • Menu bar quick capture on Mac, with a global ⌥⌘N (Option-Command-N) hotkey • Tabbed notes with full keyboard navigation on Mac • iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac • 30-day Trash with restore • No accounts, no tracking, no data collection Menu Notes stores your notes on your device and syncs them through your own private iCloud database. We can't read them, and we wouldn't want to.

About

Sign PDF & PDF Editor

Features
Read full description

Doc Hero is the fastest way to sign and fill documents on your iPhone and iPad. Import a PDF, scan a paper form, or open a Word file, place your signature, and share a clean signed PDF in seconds. You don’t need an account or a printer. SIGN IN SECONDS • Draw your signature with your finger or Apple Pencil, type it in a handwriting style, or import it from a photo • Save as many signatures and initials as you like and reuse them with one tap • Guest signature: let someone else sign without saving their signature on your device • Place a signature or initials on every page at once, in the same spot FILL OUT ANY FORM • Add text, initials, and dates in the format you choose • Checkmarks, crosses, checkboxes, stars, and other symbols • Stamps: Approved, Rejected, Draft, Confidential, Received, and Paid • Circles, rectangles, arrows, and freehand drawing • Highlight, underline, strike through, and add notes • Drag to move and resize anything, and tap any annotation to edit it again OPEN ALMOST ANYTHING • PDFs, Word documents, images, RTF, HTML, and plain text are converted to PDF automatically • Scan paper documents with your camera, with automatic edge detection • Turn photos into a multi-page PDF • Open files straight from Mail, Files, Safari, and other apps with “Open in Doc Hero” • Password-protected PDFs open once you enter the password SHARE WITH CONFIDENCE • Export a crisp signed PDF where text stays sharp and selectable • Protect the PDF you share with a password • Save to Files or share by email, message, or any app • Edit your annotations again later, even after signing • Duplicate a document, with or without annotations, to reuse it as a template PRIVATE AND SECURE • Your documents and signatures stay on your device • Lock Doc Hero with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode • No account or sign-up needed ON-DEVICE AI (iOS 26 and later) • Get a quick summary of any document before you sign it • Pull out the key points: parties, dates, obligations, and terms • Ask questions about the document • Runs on device with Apple Intelligence, so your documents aren’t sent to an AI server BUILT FOR IPHONE AND IPAD • Designed for iPad’s larger screen, with your recent documents and pages in a sidebar • Works great with Apple Pencil Privacy Policy:https://digitalhole.github.io/DocHero.html Terms of Use:https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Menu Bar Notes4 screens
Sign PDF & PDF Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Menu Bar Notes at none against Sign PDF & PDF Editor's 1. Menu Bar Notes also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. Sign PDF & PDF Editor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Menu Bar Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Menu Bar Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, Sign PDF & PDF Editor every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Menu Bar Notes versus Sign PDF & PDF Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMenu Bar NotesSign PDF & PDF Editor
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOlamide OjumuArima Jain

In-app purchases

None

Menu Bar Notes

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Sign PDF & PDF Editor

One-time1
  • Unlock All Features$3.99

Questions

Is Menu Bar Notes free?
Menu Bar Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sign PDF & PDF Editor free?
Sign PDF & PDF Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Menu Bar Notes or Sign PDF & PDF Editor have ads?
Sign PDF & PDF Editor shows ads; Menu Bar Notes does not.
Which is updated more often, Menu Bar Notes or Sign PDF & PDF Editor?
Menu Bar Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Sign PDF & PDF Editor every 5 weeks. Most recently, Menu Bar Notes was updated on October 31, 2026 and Sign PDF & PDF Editor on November 5, 2026.

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