Comparison

PrivacyNotes vs ZenNotes

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

Head to head
About

PrivacyNotes

Securely store notes, tasks, passwords, and files with end-to-end encryption. This app prioritizes user privacy, offering an open-source solution that works offline and syncs across devices without ads or trackers.

Highlights
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Offline functionality
  • Cross-device sync
  • Open-source
  • No ads or trackers
  • Password and file vault
  • Rich note editor
Features
Read full description

Your notes app knows everything about you. PrivacyNotes does not. Notes, tasks, calendar, journal and passwords, encrypted on your device. Not mined, not sold, not shown to anyone. WHY PEOPLE SWITCH - Always encrypted, on your phone and on the way to our servers in Switzerland - No ads, no trackers, no analytics. You are not the product - Open source: anyone can check what the app does - Sign up with a 12-word phrase instead of an email - Lock the app with Face ID or a PIN - Works offline, syncs across your devices EVERYTHING IN ONE PLACE - Notes: a rich editor, tags, links between notes, instant search - Tasks: every checkbox from every note, in one list - Calendar: events, repeats and birthdays, with reminders on Pro - Journal: track your mood, sleep and medication - Vault: passwords, cards and SSH keys - Files: photos, documents, audio and video - Bookmarks: your saved links, with their icons - Contacts: an address book that stays private BRING YOUR NOTES ALONG Import from Apple Notes, Evernote, Google Keep, Obsidian, Standard Notes, Joplin, Notesnook, UpNote, Samsung Notes and plain Markdown files. Export everything, any time. FREE FOREVER Free on 2 devices, with no time limit and no credit card. Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription: unlimited devices, 500 MB of encrypted storage, reminders, note history and more. ABOUT THE APP PRIVACY LABEL Apple asks us to list everything that can reach our server, even when it arrives encrypted. User Content is your notes, encrypted on your device. Identifiers are a key made from your recovery phrase and a device hash, not your name. Contact Info is an email, only if you sign in with Apple, Google or GitHub. Purchases is your Pro status. Nothing is shared, sold or used for ads. Privacy Policy: https://lifetimelabs.dev/privacy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

ZenNotes

This app allows you to write, organize, and connect ideas using plain markdown files stored locally or via iCloud. An optional cloud service offers syncing, backups, and web publishing.

Highlights
  • Local-first markdown notes
  • iCloud Drive integration
  • Optional cloud sync and backup
  • Web publishing for notes
  • Rich markdown editor
  • Offline preview with math and diagrams
  • Home screen widgets
Features
Read full description

ZenNotes is a local-first markdown notes app for writing, organizing, and connecting ideas without giving up ownership of your files. YOUR NOTES, YOUR FILES Every note is a plain .md file in a vault you control. Start with storage on your iPhone or iPad, use iCloud Drive, or open a folder through the system document picker. Local and iCloud vaults work without an account. ZENNOTES CLOUD Connect an optional ZenNotes Cloud plan to: • Sync a vault across ZenNotes desktop and mobile • Sync notes and attachments • Create manual and automatic daily backups • Restore a full vault or a single note from a backup • Publish notes to the web and manage their public links Cloud never replaces the free local-first workflow. Use it only when you want hosted sync, backup, or publishing. WRITE IN MARKDOWN Use a focused editor with headings, lists, tasks, tables, code, links, wikilinks, tags, callouts, footnotes, and frontmatter. A mobile formatting bar keeps common actions close to the keyboard, and a pinch resizes the text to your eyes. RICH, OFFLINE PREVIEW Render KaTeX math, Mermaid diagrams, JSXGraph, function plots, tables, callouts, and more directly on your device. ORGANIZE YOUR WAY Pin your go-to notes and folders to the top, swipe rows to act on them, create and rename nested folders, browse tags, search the full vault, manage tasks, create periodic notes, and work with table databases stored as CSV. CAPTURE QUICKLY Create a quick note from the app or send text and links to ZenNotes from the iOS share sheet. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Start a note, open a recent one, or check today's tasks without opening the app. New Note also lives on the Lock Screen, and the widgets wear your theme. PRIVACY BY DEFAULT ZenNotes has no advertising or tracking. Local and iCloud notes stay in the storage you choose. When you enable ZenNotes Cloud, the account identity, connected-device information, and vault content needed for the Cloud features you use are sent to the ZenNotes service. Payment details are handled by Stripe. ZenNotes is open source. Your vault remains useful outside the app because it is made of ordinary files.

Screenshots

PrivacyNotes4 screens
ZenNotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ZenNotes at none against PrivacyNotes's 4. ZenNotes also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.4). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PrivacyNotes sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. ZenNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for PrivacyNotes against 4.9 for ZenNotes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13 and 12 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PrivacyNotes ships an update every 3 days, ZenNotes every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 15, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PrivacyNotes versus ZenNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrivacyNotesZenNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (13 ratings) — better4.9 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings13 — better12
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB93 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLifetime Labs LLCLumary Labs LLC

Customer experience

PrivacyNotes

All ratings13 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

ZenNotes

All ratings12 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

PrivacyNotes

Subscriptions3
  • 1 GB Encrypted Storage$4.991 Year
  • 2 GB Encrypted Storage$8.991 Year
  • 5 GB Encrypted Storage$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • PrivacyNotes Pro$49.99
None

ZenNotes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PrivacyNotes free?
PrivacyNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ZenNotes free?
ZenNotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PrivacyNotes or ZenNotes?
PrivacyNotes is rated higher. PrivacyNotes averages 5.0 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while ZenNotes averages 4.9 from 12 ratings.
Do PrivacyNotes or ZenNotes have ads?
Neither PrivacyNotes nor ZenNotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PrivacyNotes or ZenNotes?
PrivacyNotes ships an update every 3 days, and ZenNotes every 2 days. Most recently, PrivacyNotes was updated on November 15, 2026 and ZenNotes on November 13, 2026.

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