Comparison

noglow vs NanoPad

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

Head to head
About

noglow

This app offers a minimalist scratchpad experience for quick note-taking on iPhone and Mac. It features eight distinct color-coded slots that clear after use, with finished notes archived and searchable. Optional cloud sync is available for free.

Highlights
  • Titleless scratchpad
  • Eight color slots
  • Searchable archive
  • Cross-device sync
  • Plain text notes
Read full description

noglow is a titleless scratchpad for iPhone, iPad and Mac. No titles to invent, no folders, no tags, no markdown. Just a blank line and eight slots that never move. Whatever you left in slot 2 is still in slot 2. When a note is done, peel it away. It goes into a searchable archive that never fills up, and the slot is clear for what you are working on now. - Eight slots, one tap or one keystroke apart - Peel finished notes into a permanent, searchable archive - On iPad: a full-screen layout, the archive side by side, keyboard shortcuts - Works across your devices - Optional cloud sync. Free, no account needed to start. - Plain text only. No formatting to fuss with. Free, and that includes sync.

About

NanoPad

Capture thoughts, tasks, and links in a distraction-free environment. Organize your ideas with Markdown formatting and easily access them later. Syncs via iCloud and offers export options.

Highlights
  • Markdown and rich text formatting
  • Task and link management
  • iCloud sync
  • Export to Markdown, plain text, PDF
  • Search across notes
  • Share from other apps
Features
Read full description

NanoPad is a quiet place to catch a thought, keep a checklist, and save a useful link. Notes, tasks, and URLs stay connected: write in a note, then find the task or link in its own view. WRITE YOUR WAY Use Markdown or the formatting toolbar for headings, lists, checkboxes, tables, links, and images. Search across your notes, return to recently opened work, and export your writing as Markdown, plain text, or PDF. KEEP YOUR NOTES TOGETHER Your notes are stored on your device and sync through your personal iCloud account when available. Share text or a web page to NanoPad from other apps. START FREE, UNLOCK WHEN YOU NEED MORE Free includes five fully editable personal notes, plus iCloud sync and export. If you have more than five notes after a trial or purchase ends, every note stays visible, searchable, copyable, and exportable; the first five remain editable. NanoPad Lifetime is one in-app purchase for unlimited editable notes and every available theme, font, and paper style. You can choose a free 7-day trial of the full app first. It requires no payment and does not renew automatically. When the trial ends, paid features lock unless you buy Lifetime; your writing stays yours. On Mac, the same App Store purchase also unlocks sticky note windows, Focus Writing, and linked Markdown folders.

Screenshots

noglow4 screens
NanoPad4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: noglow at none against NanoPad's 2. noglow also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). NanoPad's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 days) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. NanoPad sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. noglow 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 noglow against 5.0 for NanoPad. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

noglow ships an update every 5 days, NanoPad every 2 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
noglow versus NanoPad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameternoglowNanoPad
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB29 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperGRABADigital Toys LLC

Customer experience

noglow

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

NanoPad

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

noglow

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

NanoPad

One-time2
  • NanoPad 7-day TrialFree
  • NanoPad Lifetime$6.99

Questions

Is noglow free?
noglow is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NanoPad free?
NanoPad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, noglow or NanoPad?
noglow and NanoPad are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do noglow or NanoPad have ads?
Neither noglow nor NanoPad shows ads.
Which is updated more often, noglow or NanoPad?
noglow ships an update every 5 days, and NanoPad every 2 days. Most recently, noglow was updated on October 31, 2026 and NanoPad on October 31, 2026.

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