Comparison

Beaver Notes vs 5min

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β€” 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 β€” 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 β€’ Multi-server β€” connect to as many self-hosted Beaver Notes servers as you need and switch between them from the sidebar. β€’ Local-first sync β€” an outbox queue keeps everything working offline and catches up the moment the server comes back. β€’ Markdown editor β€” bold, italic, code, lists, links, headings, with live preview. β€’ Attachments β€” photos, videos, and arbitrary files. Images appear in an adaptive grid with a fullscreen viewer. Inline video playback. β€’ Upload progress β€” per-file and per-message progress overlays, including retry on failure. β€’ Image editor β€” crop, draw, filters, and optional optimization before upload. β€’ Video trim & optimize β€” HEIC and H.265 encoding to keep uploads small. β€’ Quick input β€” a compact composer at the bottom of the wall for fast capture. β€’ Search β€” local full-text search with type, tag, pinned and date filters. β€’ Spotlight β€” your notes are findable from the system search. β€’ Privacy β€” biometric lock with Face ID / Touch ID, auto-lock timeout, and the option to hide previews in the App Switcher. β€’ Storage controls β€” per-server cache size limit and one-tap erase. β€’ Multi-platform β€” 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 β€” see https://github.com/eduard256/beaver-notes

About

5min

Features
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5min helps you finish the small things you keep putting off. Pick a tiny task from the suggestions β€” something you could do in five minutes. Tap Go, and 5min hands you one card at a time. A short timer runs while you work. When you're done, swipe the next one. That's it. No projects, no priorities, no tags. Just small tasks and short focused sprints. β€” THE 5-MINUTE LOOP β€” β€’ Plan: Pick from the suggestions to build your list for today. Mute anything that isn't for now. β€’ Go: Tasks appear as a deck. Swipe left to skip, tap play to focus. β€’ Sprint: A 5-minute timer runs. Go over if you need to β€” we'll stop you at +10 more. β€’ Track: Watch your work add up. No streaks to break, just a clean record. β€” WHY 5 MINUTES β€” Small windows make it easier to start. You don't need motivation to do a five-minute task. You just do it. Stack enough of them and the week looks different. β€” LOCAL ONLY. PRIVATE BY DESIGN. β€” Everything lives on your phone. No accounts. No syncing. No analytics. No ads. We don't collect anything, because there's nothing to collect. If you turn on location, it's used only on your device to pick suggestions β€” it never leaves your phone. β€” BUILT FOR ATTENTION, NOT TIME-TRACKING β€” This isn't a Pomodoro tool. It's not a to-do list. It's a tiny ritual: pick a thing, do the thing, move on. Built for people who get stuck in their own planning. β€” FEATURES β€” β€’ A library of short, everyday task suggestions to pick from β€’ Suggestions that fit your time of day β€” and, if you allow it, where you are (home, work, and more) β€’ Card-deck task interface (swipe left to skip) β€’ 5-minute countdown timer with up to 10 more minutes of overtime β€’ Daily reset β€” yesterday's leftovers come back fresh β€’ Mute tasks for a set number of days or until a date you choose β€’ Stats screen β€” time worked, tasks completed, and the categories you lean on β€’ Daily quote on the home screen (shareable as image) β€’ Daily reminder notification (optional) β€” 5min PRO β€” 5min is free. 5min Pro is an optional subscription that unlocks: β€’ Premium animated timer backgrounds β€’ A higher task limit β€” up to 100 tasks Pro is offered as monthly and yearly plans, with a free trial on the yearly plan. Prices are shown in the app and may vary by region. Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends; manage or cancel anytime in your Apple ID settings. β€” iPhone only. iOS 18 and up. β€” Terms of Use (EULA): https://5min.club/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://5min.club/privacy.html

Screenshots

Beaver Notes4 screens
5min4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Beaver Notes at 3 against 5min's 1. On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Beaver Notes versus 5min: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBeaver Notes5min
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyβ€”Monthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac β€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 β€” better18.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size2 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperArtur JeremiczNuskhaLabs

In-app purchases

None

Beaver Notes

No in-app purchases

None

5min

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Beaver Notes free?
Beaver Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is 5min free?
5min is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Beaver Notes or 5min have ads?
Neither Beaver Notes nor 5min shows ads.

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