# Notedown vs Retro Desktop Notes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Notedown at none against Retro Desktop Notes's 1. Retro Desktop Notes's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 4 days). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

Notedown ships an update every 4 days, Retro Desktop Notes daily. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notedown | Retro Desktop Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retro-desktop-notes/id6792271012/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **1** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | **Daily** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 24 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Yuki Okawa](https://appshunter.io/developer/1867195492) | [MARIE MORIKAGE](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896645636) |

## What reviewers say

### Notedown

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notedown-markdown-notes/id6785522355)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Retro Desktop Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retro-desktop-notes/id6792271012)

Experience a nostalgic note-taking app that brings the charm of classic desktop computers to your mobile device. Enjoy a distraction-free writing experience with retro themes and essential organizational tools.

**Highlights:** Retro desktop themes, Fast and simple editor, Automatic saving, Pin important notes, Instant search, Trash with restore

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Retroプレミアム | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notedown free?

Notedown is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Retro Desktop Notes free?

Retro Desktop Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Notedown or Retro Desktop Notes have ads?

Neither Notedown nor Retro Desktop Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notedown or Retro Desktop Notes?

Notedown ships an update every 4 days, and Retro Desktop Notes daily. Most recently, Notedown was updated on September 23, 2026 and Retro Desktop Notes on October 1, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*