Comparison

Menu Bar Notes vs Ordo

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

Ordo

Capture all your thoughts and tasks effortlessly. This app sorts your brain dumps into actionable lists for today, soon, and later, with reminders and quick access widgets. It's designed for simplicity, requiring no setup or account.

Highlights
  • Capture thoughts via typing or voice
  • Automatic sorting into Now, Next, Someday lists
  • Set reminders with notifications or alarms
  • Home screen widget for quick access
  • Add tasks from other apps
  • Optional cloud backup and restore
Features
Read full description

Your head is full. Ordo empties it. Type or say everything on your mind, in any order, all at once. Ordo turns it into a clean list, sorted into three places: NOW — for today NEXT — for soon SOMEDAY — for no rush Most apps want you to get organized before you can start. Ordo works the other way: dump it as messy as it is, and get back a list that makes sense. No folders, no projects, no setup. DUMP IT • One box for everything. Type it, or tap the mic and say it as it comes. • One thing or ten: “call the landlord today, book the dentist for Tuesday, buy milk” becomes three cards, each in its place. • Add from anywhere: share text from another app, or ask Siri to “Dump to Ordo”. MAKE IT YOURS • Move any card between Now, Next and Someday with a tap. • Rename it, add notes, star what matters. • Swipe to delete. Deleted things wait 30 days in case you change your mind. • Tick things off. Keep them where they are, or send them to Done: everything you finished, in one place. Your choice in Settings. WHEN IT MATTERS • Say a time, like “call the dentist at 4” or “wake me up at 7”, and Ordo sets a reminder. • Choose how each one reaches you: a notification, or an alarm that rings like the Clock app (iOS 26). • See your reminders in Apple Reminders too, if you like. Alerts come from Ordo, so you never get two. • A home screen widget shows what’s Now. Tick things off right there. MADE FOR • The end of a long day, when everything is still in your head. • Leaving a meeting or a class with five new things to do. • Ideas that show up at the wrong moment. • Anyone who has tried a planner and given up on the setup. CALM BY DESIGN • No account. No sign-up. Your list lives on your phone. • Light or dark, each designed with care. Ordo follows your phone, or you pick one in Settings. • Back up and restore anytime. To sort a dump, its words go to Ordo’s sorting service, so sorting needs a connection. Offline? Ordo keeps your dump and sorts it when you’re back.

Screenshots

Menu Bar Notes4 screens
Ordo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Menu Bar Notes at 4 against Ordo's 2. Ordo's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Menu Bar Notes against 5.0 for Ordo. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Menu Bar Notes versus Ordo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMenu Bar NotesOrdo
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOlamide OjumuDANIEL LAREDO

Customer experience

Menu Bar Notes

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Ordo

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Menu Bar Notes

No in-app purchases

None

Ordo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Menu Bar Notes free?
Menu Bar Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ordo free?
Ordo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Menu Bar Notes or Ordo?
Menu Bar Notes and Ordo are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Menu Bar Notes or Ordo have ads?
Neither Menu Bar Notes nor Ordo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Menu Bar Notes or Ordo?
Menu Bar Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Ordo every 2 weeks. Most recently, Menu Bar Notes was updated on October 3, 2026 and Ordo on October 5, 2026.

Other comparisons