Comparison

Retro Desktop Notes vs Furigana Notepad

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

Head to head
About

Retro Desktop Notes

Experience a nostalgic note-taking app that brings the charm of classic desktop computers to your mobile device. Enjoy a distraction-free writing experience with retro themes and essential organizational tools.

Highlights
  • Retro desktop themes
  • Fast and simple editor
  • Automatic saving
  • Pin important notes
  • Instant search
  • Trash with restore
Features
Read full description

Bring the charm of classic desktop computers to your pocket. Retro Memo is a nostalgic note-taking app inspired by vintage desktop operating systems. Designed for people who love retro interfaces, pixel-perfect details, and distraction-free writing. Instead of overwhelming you with unnecessary features, Retro Memo focuses on what matters most: writing, organizing, and enjoying the experience. FEATURES • Three beautiful retro desktop themes - Classic 95 - Platinum Mono - Luna Blue • Fast and simple note editor • Automatic saving • Pin important notes • Instant search • Sort your notes • Trash with restore support • Pixel-inspired desktop icons • Classic window interface • Retro typography • Privacy-friendly local storage NO SUBSCRIPTIONS. ONE-TIME PURCHASE. Whether you're capturing ideas, creating shopping lists, or writing quick reminders, Retro Memo makes every note feel like you're using a classic desktop computer again. A nostalgic experience, redesigned for modern iPhone.

About

Furigana Notepad

Features
Read full description

Furigana Notepad is a notepad that lets you give any word in your notes the reading (furigana / ruby text) you like, and keeps it. Creative readings such as 約束《ちかい》, or readings for kanji you cannot read yet: you decide. Built for novel and script drafts, dialogue readings, and Japanese study. Select text and add a reading. Register readings you use often in a dictionary, and they appear automatically from then on. Assign a dictionary per folder to switch readings by project or by textbook. ■ Manual ruby Select any range of text and give that one spot its own reading — useful when the same kanji is read differently depending on context, such as a character's line in a novel. You can register it to the dictionary from the same dialog. ■ Automatic furigana Register a word and its reading, and matching text in your notes gets ruby text automatically. Assign a dictionary per folder to keep multiple stories or study sets separate. Reorder a folder's dictionaries to set their priority; when the same word is in more than one, the reading from the higher one is used. Words in the Shared Dictionary apply to every memo regardless of folder settings. ■ Live ruby preview while editing Split the editor into two panes. The lower pane shows your text with ruby applied as you type, so you can check the result without switching to view mode. ■ Select and copy in view mode Select the body text and copy it as plain text. When you want ruby text included, use the novel-site notation export instead. ■ Novel-site ruby notation export Supports four formats: Narou-style (|kanji《ruby》), pixiv, Alphapolis, and HTML. Converts your text so it can be pasted straight into novel submission sites. ■ Import from novel-site notation Paste text written in Narou-style, pixiv, Alphapolis, or HTML ruby notation, and it becomes a note with ruby text applied. The format is detected automatically, and the readings it contains can be registered to a dictionary in one go. ■ PDF export with furigana Create a PDF with ruby text, choosing vertical or horizontal writing, paper size (A4 / B5), typeface (Mincho / Gothic), font size, characters per line, line spacing, and margins. Share, save, or print it (Premium feature). ■ Note management Full-text search, pinning, a trash (auto-deletes after 30 days, with undo), and autosave are all built in. Folders can be nested without limit, sorted by name or update time, and moved by dragging. ■ Your data and Premium No account required. Memos are stored on your device and never uploaded to our servers (OS backups follow your device settings). The free version shows ads. Watch a video for 24 hours ad-free, or buy Premium once for permanent ad-free use and PDF export. See the privacy policy for how ads and crash reporting handle data. Whether you're writing a novel or studying Japanese, the readings are yours to decide. Service names mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners.

Screenshots

Retro Desktop Notes4 screens
Furigana Notepad4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Retro Desktop Notes at none against Furigana Notepad's shown. Furigana Notepad's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support 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. Retro Desktop Notes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Furigana Notepad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retro Desktop Notes ships an update daily, Furigana Notepad every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Retro Desktop Notes versus Furigana Notepad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetro Desktop NotesFurigana Notepad
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 2 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMARIE MORIKAGEQuickServe Corporation

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Retro Desktop Notes

One-time1
  • Retroプレミアム$1.99
1 purchases

Furigana Notepad

One-time1
  • Premium$2.99

Questions

Is Retro Desktop Notes free?
Retro Desktop Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Furigana Notepad free?
Furigana Notepad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Retro Desktop Notes or Furigana Notepad have ads?
Furigana Notepad shows ads; Retro Desktop Notes does not.
Which is updated more often, Retro Desktop Notes or Furigana Notepad?
Retro Desktop Notes ships an update daily, and Furigana Notepad every 2 days. Most recently, Retro Desktop Notes was updated on October 24, 2026 and Furigana Notepad on October 26, 2026.

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