# PrivacyNotes vs ZenNotes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ZenNotes at none against PrivacyNotes's 4. ZenNotes also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 days) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.4). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

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

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 — 10 and 12 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

PrivacyNotes ships an update every 3 days, ZenNotes daily. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PrivacyNotes | ZenNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/privacynotes-encrypted-notes/id6785958812/reviews)** | [4.9 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zennotes-markdown-notes/id6791751575/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 10 | **12** |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 15 MB | 90 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lifetime Labs LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6785958814) | [Lumary Labs LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1874151885) |

## What reviewers say

### PrivacyNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/privacynotes-encrypted-notes/id6785958812)

Securely manage your notes, tasks, and journal with end-to-end encryption. This app ensures your data is private by design, with no trackers or ads. It works offline and syncs encrypted across your devices without requiring an account.

**Highlights:** Zero-knowledge encryption, Markdown-native notes, Task management, Private journaling, Offline functionality, Cross-device sync

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 GB Encrypted Storage | $4.99 | per year |
| 2 GB Encrypted Storage | $8.99 | per year |
| 5 GB Encrypted Storage | $17.99 | per year |
| PrivacyNotes Pro | $49.99 | one-time |


### ZenNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zennotes-markdown-notes/id6791751575)

This app allows you to create and manage notes using plain Markdown files. It offers flexible storage options, rich text formatting with live previews, and powerful organization tools like task management and note linking. Designed for both phone and tablet, it prioritizes user privacy with no accounts or tracking.

**Highlights:** Plain Markdown file storage, Live rich text previews, Wikilinks and #tags, Vault-wide task management, Table databases as CSV, Excalidraw drawing support, Share extension for quick capture

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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 10 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 daily. Most recently, PrivacyNotes was updated on October 24, 2026 and ZenNotes on October 25, 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.*