Comparison

Etched vs Notes

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

Head to head
About

Etched

Features
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Stop losing your own notes. Etched finds what you wrote by meaning — not just by keyword. Ask for "the note about slowing down to think" and it surfaces, even if those exact words were never written. Everything runs on your device. Write in plain markdown and watch it render as you type — no symbols, no preview pane, no modes. What you see is the file. Your notes stay portable .md, yours forever. FREE, and complete: • On-device semantic search — find notes by meaning • Live WYSIWYG markdown — bold, headings, lists, quotes, code • Tables, callouts, code blocks, footnotes, highlights, links • iCloud sync across your devices • Export to .md (raw or with rendered images), PDF, plain text ETCHED PRO — one-time purchase, yours forever: • Flashcards + spaced repetition — turn notes into memory • Diagrams from plain text (flowcharts, sequences, mind maps) • Typeset math and chemistry (LaTeX) • Charts from a few rows of data • Sheet music from ABC notation • Handwriting / sketches • Present mode — turn a note into full-screen slides • Per-note themes Reading every format is always free — Pro unlocks creating them. No subscription, ever. Pay once and keep it. Coming from Apple Notes, Obsidian, or Bear? Your markdown imports as plain .md, and you finally get search that finds notes by meaning — privately, with no account. Private by design: your notes never leave your devices except through your own iCloud. No account, no tracking, no ads. Your notes, etched in memory. — Made by Hyojin Mo. Support: support@vibeland.app

About

Notes

Features
Read full description

Notes is a private, offline notebook for voice notes, transcripts, reminders, and sketches. Record in any language, dictate on your device, and find any word in seconds. Works fully offline. No account, no ads, no cloud sync. CAPTURE ANYTHING • Voice notes and meeting recordings, transcribed on your device in your chosen language • Dictate notes with on-device speech-to-text, with a full language picker • Scan documents and turn them into text with on-device OCR • Sketches, photos, videos, and any file, including PDFs, spreadsheets, and audio, shown like mail attachments • Rich text, checklists, and bullet or numbered lists REMEMBER TO ACT • Voice reminders, set up from a dedicated screen • Reminders and categories on every note • Turn any note into a real checklist, a clean outline, or a quick summary TALK TO YOUR NOTES Ask in plain language and get answers from what you've written: "What did I decide about the trip?" or "Show me my last 10 entries." Summaries and translations run on your device, and your note content is never sent to a third-party AI service. FIND AND STAY ORGANIZED • Find within a note with the in-editor find bar • Fast search by keyword, date, or media type • Find Duplicate Notes scans your collection and helps you merge near-identical entries • Archive volumes for notes you want out of your daily view but not gone for good MAKE IT YOURS • Backdrops and app-wide themes • Adjustable text size and archive density • Home screen widget with your recent notes • A quick tour on first launch, replayable any time from Settings PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Notes stay on your device. Nothing is uploaded, synced, or sold. • Lock individual notes with a password or Face ID • Deleted notes go to Trash first, so a stray tap never costs you a note • No account required to use the app Whether you keep a journal, a running list, meeting notes, or a place to think out loud, Notes is built to be entirely, privately yours.

Screenshots

Etched4 screens
Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Notes at none against Etched's 1. On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. Etched sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Etched ships an update every 2 days, Notes every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Etched versus Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEtchedNotes
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size87 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSoyeon NohRahul pahuja

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Etched

One-time1
  • Etched Pro$14.99
None

Notes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Etched free?
Etched is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Notes free?
Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Etched or Notes have ads?
Neither Etched nor Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Etched or Notes?
Etched ships an update every 2 days, and Notes every 4 days. Most recently, Etched was updated on October 31, 2026 and Notes on November 6, 2026.

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