Comparison

Note Weaver vs PrivateTask

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

Head to head
About

Note Weaver

Features
Read full description

Note Weaver is both a Rich Text and a Markdown editor with a notes library to organize your notes. Note Weaver is designed for people who want a calm, capable writing space that still respects the private nature of personal notes, journals, technical material, research, and working drafts. You can write in rich text or Markdown, organize notes into folders, embed images, preview pages, and export documents, while keeping your library local-first. You will receive a license via email after starting a subscription. A single license enables you to synchronize up to five devices across Mac, iOS, among others (see website). No further purchase required. Authentication when using Note Weaver is performed once each day. If you go offline and Note Weaver cannot validate your license, you have a 30-day grace period, so you won't be locked out of your notes when visiting remote locations. From Version 1.0.3 on the Desktop versions, included in your subscription, you can now import notes from Bear, Obsidian, and OneNote, with auto-tagging to make organizing imported notes a breeze! Change History Version 1.1.0 (July 23, 2026) * Added authenticated local-network synchronization for devices on the same network, while preserving end-to-end encryption. * Note Weaver automatically falls back to the secure Fiction Loom relay when a direct local connection is unavailable. * Improved synchronization across multiple licensed devices, including more reliable change distribution, inventory verification, and library repair. * Updated backend components for better stability and performance. V1.0.5 (July 14, 2026) * Introduced a load-balanced synchronization relay architecture for improved reliability, capacity, and performance. * Added a verified, resumable onboarding process that gives newly added or reinstalled devices a complete copy of the note library and embedded assets. * Strengthened synchronization with inventory reconciliation, causal version tracking, improved multi-device convergence, and more accurate conflict detection. * Improved desktop background synchronization and made the desktop synchronization helper part of the standard setup. * Rebuilt the rich-text editor using Tiptap for more reliable rich-text and Markdown editing. * Significantly improved image handling, including drag-and-drop insertion, touch resizing, percentage-based sizing, inline images, page-edge anchoring, alignment, and Fit to Page Width. * Added OneNote import support on Windows, including imported-note tagging and color-assisted organization. * Improved Bear imports with hierarchical tag support, automatic folder and subfolder creation, and better imported-image sizing. * Added color-coded tags and folder highlighting to help organize imported and tagged notes. * Improved page layout, page breaks, text alignment, preview stability, and persistence of document-specific settings. * Reorganized Editor Settings and Page Settings, with additional fonts and improved support for Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and other Unicode text. * Improved dual-sidebar keyboard navigation, selection visibility, scrolling, mobile sizing, and multi-note movement. * Improved folder creation by supporting nested folders and preventing accidental duplicate folder names. * Added reliable restoration of deleted folders, their subfolders, and contained notes. * Improved conflict review by keeping the currently reviewed conflict copies visible. * Improved startup performance, responsiveness, and keyboard behavior. * Improved mobile sidebar resizing, image controls, and touch interaction. * Updated subscription-management routing. * Updated and expanded the bundled Note Weaver User Manual. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

PrivateTask

Features
Read full description

PrivateTask organises your day without uploading it to any server. No account. No cloud. No ads. Everything you write is stored encrypted on your iPhone and never leaves it. SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED PrivateTask runs on a subscription. You can try it free for 7 days; after that it is USD 1.99 per month and renews automatically until you cancel. You can cancel any time in your iPhone's Settings, and cancelling never deletes what you have already written. WHAT IT DOES Ā· Tasks and projects, with subtasks, tags and priorities. Ā· Calendar with events and reminders, in day, week, month and list views. Ā· Habits and routines, with the day's pace spread across your hours. Ā· Notes. Ā· My Finances: accounts, income, expenses, transfers, budgets, upcoming payments, subscriptions, debts and savings goals. Ā· Optional modules for vehicle, pets, travel and small business. Ā· Focus mode and timers for working without interruptions. HOW IT STARTS It does not leave you staring at an empty screen. You pick what you want to organise and the app offers a starting point, with habits and reminders already set up. Only what you confirm gets installed, and you can remove it any time. WHY IT IS DIFFERENT It works entirely in airplane mode. There is no server to connect to, so there is nothing to go down and nothing to leak. The database is encrypted on your device with AES-256. The key lives in the iOS Keychain. Not even we can open it. You can lock the app with Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode. Backups are encrypted with a passphrase you choose, before they leave the app. If you forget it, nobody can recover them. Not us either. Reminders are generated on your phone. Your task titles never travel to a push notification server. THE ASSISTANT Type or dictate "tomorrow 8am call the dentist" and it becomes a task with its reminder. It works offline, on your device. Nothing involving money is ever saved without your confirmation. PHOTOGRAPH YOUR RECEIPTS Capture a receipt and the app reads the amount, merchant and date to propose an expense. Text recognition happens inside your iPhone: images are not sent to any online service. WHAT IT DOES NOT DO It collects no data. It uses no analytics. It shows no ads. It does not sell your information. There are no streaks, no scores and no comparisons against your past days: it is a tool for organising yourself, not for making you feel in debt. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: https://privatetask.saiddcruz.com/politica-de-privacidad.html

Screenshots

Note Weaver4 screens
PrivateTask4 screens

Verdict

The call

Note Weaver and PrivateTask are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Note Weaver sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and PrivateTask sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Note Weaver versus PrivateTask: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNote WeaverPrivateTask
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeekly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB66 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMartin Bailey Photography K.K.Saidd Cruz

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Note Weaver

Subscriptions2
  • Note Weaver Monthly Subscription$5.991 Month
  • Note Weaver Annual Subscription$59.991 Year
1 purchases

PrivateTask

Subscriptions1
  • PrivateTask Premium7 Days trial$1.991 Month

Questions

Is Note Weaver free?
Note Weaver is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PrivateTask free?
PrivateTask is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Note Weaver or PrivateTask have ads?
Neither Note Weaver nor PrivateTask shows ads.

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