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 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
Read full description

One encrypted home for everything you would never post. Your 12-word recovery phrase is your key, and with self-custody not even we can read a word. Seven pillars, one key: - Notes: rich editor, tags, note-links, instant search - Tasks: every checkbox in one view - Journal: mood, sleep and medication tracking - Vault: passwords, cards, SSH keys - Files: encrypted photos, documents, audio, video - Bookmarks: your saved links, with icons - Contacts: an address book that stays private Private by design: - Zero-knowledge encryption, data stored in Switzerland - Open source, no trackers, no ads - Works offline, syncs across all your devices - No email needed: a recovery phrase is enough Free forever on 2 devices. Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. 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 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
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 ratings volume (11 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.4). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ZenNotes has 11 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PrivacyNotes ships an update every 3 days, ZenNotes every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
PrivacyNotes versus ZenNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrivacyNotesZenNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.9 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings211 — better
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
Size12 MB81 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLifetime Labs LLCLumary Labs LLC

Customer experience

PrivacyNotes

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

ZenNotes

All ratings11 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 2 ratings, while ZenNotes averages 4.9 from 11 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 October 7, 2026 and ZenNotes on October 10, 2026.

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