Comparison

Dots vs QuickNotes

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

Head to head
About

Dots

Features
Read full description

A calm place for your day, your ideas and your journal. Dots brings bullet journaling to iPhone with tasks, notes, events, habits and reflection in one paper-inspired notebook. No Dots account. No ads. Free to start. CAPTURE NOW, ORGANIZE LATER Drop unsorted thoughts into Inbox. Move them into a Daily Log or collection when you are ready. Use the Index to reach your logs, habits, mood check-ins and journal. CHOOSE WHAT MATTERS TODAY Mark important tasks as Priority and bring them into your Today focus list. Use familiar bullet journal signifiers for tasks, notes and events, add subtasks, and carry unfinished tasks forward when you choose. PLAN AT YOUR OWN PACE Use daily, weekly, monthly and future logs to keep the near and long view together. Add times and local reminders to tasks and events. Keep projects, reading lists and ideas in collections. HABITS, MOOD AND REFLECTION Build habits with streaks and a completion grid. Check in with your mood on a five-point scale and add a note. Write freely in your Journal with optional prompts, autosave and a calendar view. FIND AND KEEP YOUR WORDS Search tasks, notes and events across your history. Archive finished items and choose how long they are kept. Export your data as JSON, including collection sections. YOUR NOTEBOOK, ON YOUR DEVICE Use Dots offline and protect the app with Face ID or your device passcode. Optional Premium iCloud sync uses your own iCloud account. Choose light, dark or system appearance, with support for larger text. FREE TO START The free version includes up to 3 collections and 5 habits, logs, journal, mood check-ins, search, reminders and app lock. Dots Premium unlocks unlimited collections and habits, habit and mood charts, and iCloud sync. Choose a monthly or annual subscription, or a one-time purchase. Current options and prices are shown in the app. Made for iPhone. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

QuickNotes

Features
Read full description

You're on a call and need to jot something down. Sound familiar? Your default notes app takes ages to open - and lands on the last note you edited. Your reminders app only does reminders. And that powerful notebook app? You'll spend half a minute just deciding where the note should go. QuickNotes removes every step between a thought and a note. ONE SURFACE, ZERO DECISIONS Tasks, notes, ideas and reminders live together on a single board. No folders, no notebooks, no "where should I put this". Open the app, tap one icon, type, done - it takes seconds. BUILT FOR SPEED • Opens instantly, straight to your board • One tap to add a task, note, idea or reminder • Swipe right to complete, swipe left to delete • Tap any item to edit it • Undo & redo for every action - nothing is ever lost by accident TIDIES ITSELF UP Completed items stay greyed out on your board for 24 hours - so you can see what you got done today. Then they file themselves into the archive automatically. Deleted items go to the trash first, so nothing disappears for good until you say so. YOUR STYLE Three looks - Color, Mono and Glass - plus automatic light and dark mode following your system. PRIVATE & OFFLINE BY DESIGN • Works 100% offline - no internet connection needed, ever • All your data is stored only on your iPhone and never leaves it • No account, no sign-up, no cloud • No ads, no tracking, no analytics • Doesn't ask for a single permission AND THE SMALL THINGS THAT MATTER • Opens instantly - no splash screens to sit through • English and Czech, following your system language • Tiny download, minimal footprint QuickNotes is for busy people who just want to capture a thought before it's gone - without thinking about where it belongs. Open. Jot down. Done.

Screenshots

Dots4 screens
QuickNotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: QuickNotes at none against Dots's 3. 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. Dots sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. QuickNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dots ships an update every 2 weeks, QuickNotes every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Dots versus QuickNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDotsQuickNotes
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size58 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKalon CheongMatous Mutina

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Dots

Subscriptions2
  • Dots Pro Subscription Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Dots Pro Subscription Yearly$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Dots Pro Lifetime$39.99
None

QuickNotes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dots free?
Dots is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is QuickNotes free?
QuickNotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Dots or QuickNotes have ads?
Neither Dots nor QuickNotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dots or QuickNotes?
Dots ships an update every 2 weeks, and QuickNotes every 3 weeks. Most recently, Dots was updated on October 28, 2026 and QuickNotes on October 25, 2026.

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