# petal vs Branchnote

petal and Branchnote are too close to call on the numbers: across 9 compared parameters — price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for petal against 5.0 for Branchnote. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively.

petal ships an update every 9 days, Branchnote weekly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | petal | Branchnote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/petal-notes/id6785715493/reviews) | [5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/branchnote-notes-and-checklists/id6798061347/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 3 | **4** |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 7 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Aaditya Sharma](https://appshunter.io/developer/6785715495) | [Branchnote LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6798061349) |

## What reviewers say

### petal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/petal-notes/id6785715493)

This app provides a private space to capture and organize your thoughts without immediate categorization. It offers smart sorting, rich text editing, document scanning, and offline functionality, ensuring your ideas are saved and easily retrievable.

**Highlights:** Capture first, file later, Smart sorting learns your preferences, Document scanning to searchable PDFs, Rich text editing with formatting options, Dictation for voice-to-text notes, Offline functionality, Recently deleted notes recovery

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Branchnote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/branchnote-notes-and-checklists/id6798061347)

Organize your thoughts and tasks with a hierarchical note-taking system. Create branches for topics, add sub-branches, and write notes using Markdown formatting. Secure your notes with a passcode and biometrics.

**Highlights:** Branch-based organization, Nested sub-branches, Markdown writing, Checkbox lists, Full-text search, Passcode and biometric lock, Local backup and restore

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is petal free?

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

### Is Branchnote free?

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

### Which has better reviews, petal or Branchnote?

petal and Branchnote are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 4 ratings respectively.

### Do petal or Branchnote have ads?

Neither petal nor Branchnote shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, petal or Branchnote?

petal ships an update every 9 days, and Branchnote weekly. Most recently, petal was updated on October 31, 2026 and Branchnote on October 31, 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.*