FlatNote vs WatchNotes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FlatNote
This app allows you to create and organize notes using markdown formatting. It offers live formatting, image support, and robust organization features. Your notes are stored as plain files and sync via iCloud across your Apple devices.
- Live markdown formatting
- Image embedding in notes
- Folder organization and pinning
- Real checkboxes
- In-note search
- Cross-device iCloud sync
- Plain .md file export
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FlatNote is a markdown notes app for people who want their writing to stay plain, portable, and theirs. It runs on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and your notes sync across all of them through your own iCloud, or stay in a folder you choose. Type markdown and watch it format as you go. Headings, bold, italic, strikethrough, links, quotes, bullet lists, and tappable checkboxes all render while you write. The raw symbols stay out of your way and reappear only on the line you are editing, so you always know exactly what you typed. WHAT YOU GET - Live formatting. See the result as you type, with a one minute reference note included. - Photos in your notes. Paste an image or attach one; it is saved next to the note as an ordinary file, not in a database. - Folders, pins, and sorting. Organize notes into real directories and keep the ones you use on top. - Real checkboxes. Tap to check things off, right in the note. - Find in a note. Search the open note and jump between highlighted matches. - Quick formatting. A formatting bar above the keyboard on iPhone and iPad, and standard shortcuts on Mac. - Find your notes fast. Search the whole library by title or content. YOUR WORDS BELONG TO YOU - Every note is a plain .md file. No proprietary format, no lock-in, readable in any app, on any device, years from now. - Your notes live in your iCloud and sync across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac automatically, signed in with your Apple ID. No separate account to make. - Export carries everything. Share any note as markdown, with its pictures included, or export your whole library as one zip of ordinary files. The files are also right there in the Files app on iOS and Finder on Mac. - Delete is honest. Deleted notes go to Trash, where they can be recovered. QUIET BY DESIGN - No ads. No tracking. No analytics. Nothing about you leaves your devices and your iCloud. - Works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, in light and dark. FlatNote keeps the format simple so you can keep your thinking clear.
WatchNotes
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WatchNotes puts your notes and checklists where you actually need them — on your wrist. Write on your iPhone with real formatting, tick things off on your Apple Watch, and share lists with the people you live with so everyone stays on the same page. MADE FOR THE WRIST • A true standalone watch app — works without your iPhone nearby • Tick checklist items with one tap, with big, glanceable rows • Dictate a new note or add items by voice, straight from the watch • The note stays up while you shop or cook — raise your wrist and it's right there • Always-On display support CHECKLISTS DONE RIGHT • Groceries, packing, chores — reorder, strike through, clear completed • Tick an item on the watch and it checks itself off on your iPhone in seconds • Progress bars show what's left at a glance A REAL EDITOR, NOT A TEXT BOX • Titles, headings, bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, bullets • Text and a checklist can live in the same note • Pin your most-used notes to the top SHARE AND EDIT TOGETHER • Share any note by iCloud email, invite link, or a WatchNotes username • Everyone you invite can edit — two people can tick different items at the same time and nothing gets lost • Stop sharing or remove people at any time PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Your notes live in YOUR iCloud, not on our servers • No account, no password, no ads, no tracking, no analytics • Shared notes are visible only to the people you invite WatchNotes is for everyone who ever walked into a shop and left their list on the fridge. Put it on your wrist instead.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: FlatNote at 17.0 against WatchNotes's 26.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | FlatNote | WatchNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kate Benediktsson | Lukas Varanausksa |
In-app purchases
FlatNote
No in-app purchases
WatchNotes
No in-app purchases








