Comparison

Beaver Notes vs Ashnote

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

Head to head
About

Beaver Notes

Features
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Beaver Notes is a fast, native client for the open-source Beaver Notes server โ€” a self-hosted note wall you run on your own infrastructure. Write markdown notes. Drop in photos, videos and files. Everything lands on your server, nowhere else. No accounts to sign up for, no third-party services, no analytics, no telemetry. FEATURES โ€ข Multi-server โ€” connect to as many self-hosted Beaver Notes servers as you need and switch between them from the sidebar. โ€ข Local-first sync โ€” an outbox queue keeps everything working offline and catches up the moment the server comes back. โ€ข Markdown editor โ€” bold, italic, code, lists, links, headings, with live preview. โ€ข Attachments โ€” photos, videos, and arbitrary files. Images appear in an adaptive grid with a fullscreen viewer. Inline video playback. โ€ข Upload progress โ€” per-file and per-message progress overlays, including retry on failure. โ€ข Image editor โ€” crop, draw, filters, and optional optimization before upload. โ€ข Video trim & optimize โ€” HEIC and H.265 encoding to keep uploads small. โ€ข Quick input โ€” a compact composer at the bottom of the wall for fast capture. โ€ข Search โ€” local full-text search with type, tag, pinned and date filters. โ€ข Spotlight โ€” your notes are findable from the system search. โ€ข Privacy โ€” biometric lock with Face ID / Touch ID, auto-lock timeout, and the option to hide previews in the App Switcher. โ€ข Storage controls โ€” per-server cache size limit and one-tap erase. โ€ข Multi-platform โ€” adapted layouts for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with native sidebar, context menus, swipe actions, and keyboard shortcuts. PRIVACY The app talks only to the self-hosted server you configure. No analytics SDKs. No third-party services. No developer-side backend. Read the full privacy policy at https://eduard256.github.io/beaver-notes-apple/PRIVACY.md REQUIREMENTS You need a running Beaver Notes server. The server is open source โ€” see https://github.com/eduard256/beaver-notes

About

Ashnote

Features
Read full description

ASHnote is a local-first markdown notes and journaling app for personal use. All notes are saved directly on your device as plain text files. No account is required, and no data is sent to any server unless you choose to set up iCloud or Git sync. Key features - Markdown editor with slash commands and a formatting toolbar - Folder structure with custom emoji icons - Calendar and journal views for daily note organization - Mood and weather icons for journaling - Tags and favorites for quick filtering - Pin important notes to the top - Full-text search - Optional iCloud sync to keep notes across Apple devices - Optional Git sync to back up notes to a Git repository - Fully offline capable Privacy-first You can use ASHnote without logging in. Unless you explicitly enable iCloud or Git sync, no data is transmitted to our servers. ASHnote offers all core note-taking features for free, with an optional auto-renewable premium subscription that unlocks additional features. ASHnote Premium (Auto-Renewable Subscription) - Monthly: US$2.99/month - Yearly: US$24.99/year Premium subscription includes: - Version history - Sticky notes - Multiple vaults - Export and sharing (PDF, HTML, ZIP) - AI assistant Payment will be charged to your Apple account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Terms of Use: https://note.sunteq.net/terms Privacy Policy: https://note.sunteq.net/privacy

Screenshots

Beaver Notes4 screens
Ashnote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Beaver Notes at none against Ashnote's 2. Ashnote's advantage is device support (5 vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

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. Ashnote sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Beaver Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Beaver Notes versus Ashnote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBeaver NotesAshnote
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyโ€”Every 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch โ€” better
Requires iOS17.015.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size2 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperArtur JeremiczSanghoon Ahn

In-app purchases

None

Beaver Notes

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Ashnote

Subscriptions2
  • ASHnote Premium$2.991 Month
  • ASHnote Premium (Yearly)$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Beaver Notes free?
Beaver Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ashnote free?
Ashnote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Beaver Notes or Ashnote have ads?
Neither Beaver Notes nor Ashnote shows ads.

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