Comparison

Idea Notes vs Mini Notes

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

Head to head
About

Idea Notes

Features
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APP INTERFACE: English. IdeaCatch is a focused, private notebook for thoughts that arrive before you have time to organize them. CAPTURE FIRST - Save a thought in a few taps - Type @work, @app, @blog, @biz or @personal anywhere in the line to file it automatically - Edit, delete or favorite any saved idea FIND IT AGAIN - Search both idea text and tag names - Filter the notebook by tag - Group by tag or sort alphabetically - Export every saved idea as Markdown or CSV FULL ACCESS Full Access removes the saved-idea cap and unlocks custom @tags. Weekly, yearly and one-time lifetime options may be available. Prices, billing periods and availability are supplied by Apple. An introductory offer appears only when the App Store reports both an offer and eligibility for your Apple Account. Saved ideas always remain readable, editable, exportable and deletable. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Ideas stay in the app's on-device database. There is no account, advertising or analytics SDK, and IdeaCatch does not collect or sell personal data. Optional daily reminders are scheduled locally by iOS, and notification permission is requested only when you enable one. Terms of Use: https://leanstudio.asia/terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://leanstudio.asia/privacy-policy Support: support@leanstudio.asia

About

Mini Notes

Features
Read full description

If you want a notes app that's “open and write, tidy as you go, never lose a word,” Mini Notes is built for you. **Auto-save, so every quick note is safe** Even if a call comes in, the app is interrupted, or your phone runs flat, anything you hadn't saved is brought back automatically. No hunting for a save button—just write. **Flexible organization, your own knowledge base** Manage things as “Notebook → Group → Note” with multi-level nesting for complex setups—or skip filing entirely and just jot things down. **One-tap sharing, capture ideas on the spot** When you spot a passage or link in Safari or another app, just tap Share and choose Mini Notes. It drops straight into your inbox—no copying back and forth. **Effortless formatting, clear at a glance** The rich-text editor gives you bold, strikethrough and a 12-color preset palette, and remembers the last color you used so you don't set it again. Titles inherit the body's formatting, keeping list previews clean and readable. **Home Screen widget, no need to open the app** Put your most recently edited notes on your Home Screen and see what you wrote today at a glance. Tap one to jump straight back into it. **Recently Deleted, for when you delete by mistake** Deleted notes stay in Recently Deleted for 3 days, so you can restore them anytime. Sure you don't need them? Clear them out in one tap. **Text Size, so everything is easy to read** Drag a slider in Settings to resize the text and icons throughout the app, without changing the setting for any other app. **Markdown checklists for quick to-dos** Type "# checklist" to turn the current line into a tappable checkbox. Press Return and the next line starts with a checkbox too. Tap to tick it off—tapped the wrong one? Just undo it. We'll keep updating Mini Notes. If there's something you'd like improved, or a feature you'd love to see, please leave a review on the App Store or get in touch via Send Feedback in the app. Your support and encouragement keep us building a better product. Thank you!

Screenshots

Idea Notes4 screens
Mini Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Idea Notes at none against Mini Notes's shown. Mini Notes's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months). On price, in-app purchases, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Idea Notes ships an update every 4 months, Mini Notes weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
Idea Notes versus Mini Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIdea NotesMini Notes
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLEAN ASIA CO., LTDZHONGCHENG YANG

In-app purchases

None

Idea Notes

No in-app purchases

None

Mini Notes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Idea Notes free?
Idea Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mini Notes free?
Mini Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Idea Notes or Mini Notes have ads?
Mini Notes shows ads; Idea Notes does not.
Which is updated more often, Idea Notes or Mini Notes?
Idea Notes ships an update every 4 months, and Mini Notes weekly. Most recently, Idea Notes was updated on October 8, 2026 and Mini Notes on October 5, 2026.

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