Comparison

Vault Notes vs Columemo

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

Head to head
About

Vault Notes

Features
Read full description

Vault Notes is a private notes app built on plain Markdown. Your notes are real .md files stored locally, (and with Pro, in your own Google Drive), not rows in a database we control. We run no servers and never see what you write. WRITE WITHOUT FRICTION Live Markdown editing. Headings, bold, and checklists render as you type. Daily notes are one tap away, so journaling and quick capture stay fast. Banners, callouts, code blocks, footnotes, highlights, and LaTeX math. Paste a link and get a clean preview card. Rename the title to whatever you want. Attach images, PDFs, and GIFs. Read PDFs a page at a time. YOURS, ORGANIZED Folders and subfolders, pinned notes, instant search. Connect notes with [[wikilinks]], or embed one note inside another. Chain notes like chapters with Previous / Next follow-ups. Canvas boards when you need to think spatially. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Public View hides your private notes and images, either on a schedule or with one tap. Hand your phone to someone and don't worry about it. Mark any note or folder Private. Blur the images you'd rather not show. No analytics. No tracking. Nothing phones home. MAKE IT YOURS Features are plugins, so toggle math, callouts, timelines, and image styling as you like. Accent colors that follow you across devices. Apple Pencil sketch notes on iPad. VAULT PRO (optional subscription) Two-way sync between iPhone, iPad, and desktop, all through your own Google Drive. Version history and attachment sync included. Your notes move through your cloud. We never host or read them. Vault Notes is built by one person who uses it every day, and it shows. Download it, write something in it, see if it fits.

About

Columemo

Features
Read full description

See your notes more clearly, one column at a time. Columemo is a local-first note app for arranging information into rows and columns. It offers the clarity of a table without requiring spreadsheet formulas, making it easy to compare, record, and plan. KEY FEATURES • Add, delete, and rearrange rows and columns • Adjust column widths and row heights • Copy and paste cells, select ranges, undo, and redo • Apply text colors, backgrounds, bold, and italic styles • Use templates for comparisons, trackers, travel planning, schedules, and more • Switch between Japanese and English COLUMEMO PRO — ONE-TIME PURCHASE • Remove the memo-count limit • Expand row and column limits • Use full-text search, tags, and folders • Unlock additional templates and themes • Export as PDF, PNG, CSV, TSV, or Markdown • Create and restore local backups Your notes are stored locally on your device. Columemo does not require an account and does not use advertising SDKs, AI services, or developer-operated cloud synchronization. You choose where exported files and backups are saved. The free version supports up to 10 memos, 8 columns and 80 rows per memo, and one custom template. Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription.

Screenshots

Vault Notes4 screens
Columemo4 screens

Verdict

The call

Vault Notes and Columemo 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. Vault Notes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Columemo sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Vault Notes versus Columemo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVault NotesColumemo
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 6 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndre SchoolmanDTLF

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Vault Notes

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Yearly$49.991 Year
1 purchases

Columemo

One-time1
  • Columemo Pro$9.99

Questions

Is Vault Notes free?
Vault Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Columemo free?
Columemo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Vault Notes or Columemo have ads?
Neither Vault Notes nor Columemo shows ads.

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