Comparison

Private Notes vs OwnNotes

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

Head to head
About

Private Notes

Features
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Private Notes: Offline NotePad is a private, on-device notes app built to help you capture ideas fast, write the way you think, and actually find things later β€” with real intelligence that never sends your notes to a server. Perfect for jotting a quick thought, writing in Markdown, recording a voice note that transcribes itself, sketching or scanning a document, and linking your ideas together β€” all wrapped in search that understands what you meant. Your notes, your data β€” and yours alone. PRIVATE BY DESIGN β€’ No account, no login, no sign-up β€” just open the app and start β€’ All your notes are stored locally on your device by default β€’ No analytics, no tracking, no ads, no third-party data collection β€’ Optional iCloud sync runs through your own private iCloud β€” never our servers β€’ On-device AI: the intelligence runs on your iPhone, your notes never leave it WRITE THE WAY YOU THINK β€’ A fast, focused Markdown editor with a formatting keyboard toolbar β€’ Checklists, headings, an outline view and font choices β€’ Notebooks with your own colors and icons, plus flexible tags β€’ Smart Folders that collect notes by rules, automatically β€’ Wiki-style [[links]] and backlinks to connect your ideas β€’ Pin and star what matters, and restore anything from Trash β€’ Full version history so you can go back to any earlier draft ON-DEVICE INTELLIGENCE β€’ Summarize any note in a tap β€’ Smart auto-tagging that keeps your tags consistent β€’ Automatic titles for notes you never got around to naming β€’ Ask your notes β€” get answers grounded in what you actually wrote β€’ Turn a voice recording into a clean, structured note β€’ Pull action items straight out of meetings and lectures β€’ Turn a photo into editable Markdown β€’ Semantic search that finds notes by meaning, not just keywords (On-device AI features require a supported iPhone.) CAPTURE ANYTHING β€’ Quick Capture and an Inbox for frictionless jotting β€’ Attach images, and β€” with Premium β€” audio, scans, sketches and PDFs β€’ Scan documents with the camera, sketch with Apple Pencil β€’ A Share Extension to send text and links straight into your notes FIND IT INSTANTLY β€’ Fast full-text search across everything β€’ A Quick Switcher to jump to any note in seconds β€’ Spotlight integration so your notes show up in system search β€’ Filter and browse by tag, notebook or Smart Folder BRING YOUR NOTES WITH YOU β€’ Import from Bear archives and Evernote (ENEX) β€’ Keep everything in one private, searchable home ON YOUR HOME SCREEN β€’ Home Screen widgets for Quick Capture, recent notes and your daily streak β€’ Create, open and append to notes with Siri and Shortcuts β€’ Your notes, one tap away A PRIVATE APP LOCK β€’ Lock individual notes behind Face ID or Touch ID β€’ A Privacy Shield hides locked notes from lists, search and the switcher PREMIUM INCLUDES β€’ Unlimited notes and nested notebooks β€’ Audio, scan, sketch, PDF and file attachments β€’ Lecture and meeting transcription with AI summaries and action items β€’ Unlimited on-device AI β€’ Private iCloud sync across all your devices NotesApp stays simple when you just want to jot something down, and powerful when you want your whole second brain β€” capture in a tap, find anything in a second. SUBSCRIPTIONS β€’ Auto-renewable Premium plans (1 month, 1 year with a 3-day free trial) β€’ A one-time Lifetime unlock is also available β€’ Payment is charged to your Apple ID account β€’ Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period β€’ Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple account settings β€’ Restore Purchases is available in-app Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://darianhanci-legal.web.app/datenschutz APPLE WATCH Dictate a thought; it reaches your inbox even with no iPhone nearby.

About

OwnNotes

Features
Read full description

Your Offline Private AI Notebook Turn your iPhone and iPad into a private AI-powered notebook that helps you capture, organize, summarize, and improve your ideasβ€”completely offline. No cloud. No account. No subscription. Everything runs directly on your device, so your notes stay private while you enjoy fast, intelligent AI assistance anywhere, even without an internet connection. Whether you're taking meeting notes, studying, journaling, brainstorming, writing, or organizing research, your AI assistant is always available. Key Features β€’ 100% Offline AI – All AI processing happens on your device. No cloud processing or internet required. β€’ Live Voice-to-Text – Capture ideas naturally with fast and accurate speech transcription. β€’ AI Summaries – Turn long notes into concise summaries and actionable takeaways. β€’ Rewrite with AI – Improve grammar, clarity, tone, and structure with a single tap. β€’ Simplify Complex Information – Convert difficult topics into easy-to-understand explanations. β€’ Brainstorm Ideas – Generate outlines, titles, creative ideas, and writing suggestions from your notes. β€’ Biometric Lock – Protect your notes with Face ID or Touch ID for an extra layer of privacy. β€’ Easy Sharing – Instantly share your notes and AI-generated content with Mail, Apple Notes, Reminders, Messages, and your favorite apps. β€’ Private by Design – Your notes never leave your device. β€’ Works Anywhere – Perfect for flights, travel, classrooms, meetings, or anywhere without internet access. Perfect For β€’ Students β€’ Professionals β€’ Writers β€’ Researchers β€’ Journalers β€’ Content Creators β€’ Anyone who values privacy and offline AI. Why Choose Offline AI? Most AI note-taking apps rely on cloud services that upload your notes to remote servers and require an internet connection. This app is different. Everything runs locally on your iPhone or iPad, keeping your ideas private while delivering fast AI assistance wherever you are. Free to use with ads. Upgrade once with a one-time purchase to remove ads forever. No recurring subscription. Think Freely. Stay Private. No cloud. No internet. Just intelligent AI that keeps your ideas where they belongβ€”on your device.

Screenshots

Private Notes4 screens
OwnNotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Private Notes at none against OwnNotes's shown. OwnNotes's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.4). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Private Notes sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and OwnNotes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Private Notes ships an update monthly, OwnNotes every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
Private Notes versus OwnNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrivate NotesOwnNotes
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 days β€” better
AdsNo β€” betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.417.6 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size18 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCengiz Darian HanciRajeev Kadaplackal Rajappan Pillai

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Private Notes

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly3 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time2
  • Premium Lifetime - Welcome$19.99
  • Premium Lifetime$27.99
1 purchases

OwnNotes

One-time1
  • OwnNotes - Remove Ad$4.99

Questions

Is Private Notes free?
Private Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OwnNotes free?
OwnNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Private Notes or OwnNotes have ads?
OwnNotes shows ads; Private Notes does not.
Which is updated more often, Private Notes or OwnNotes?
Private Notes ships an update monthly, and OwnNotes every 3 days. Most recently, Private Notes was updated on October 7, 2026 and OwnNotes on October 9, 2026.

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