Comparison

Decoy vs ShowMeTheNote

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

Head to head
About

Decoy

Features
Read full description

The iPhone's own Notes app can't live on your Lock Screen. Decoy can, and nobody else can read it. Appointments, medication, errands you'd rather not explain. The Lock Screen is the surface you glance at most, and it's also the one other people see most. So some things never made it there. While your phone is locked, Decoy looks like a blank card, or whatever text you chose in advance. The moment Face ID passes, your real notes appear. ■ Made for ・Writing things down and then never looking at them again ・Living or working around people who glance at your screen ・Appointments and errands you'd rather keep to yourself ■ What it does ・Works as a to-do list, or as plain notes ・Reminders at the time you set ・Repeats daily, on weekdays, weekly, monthly ・Separate lists for separate parts of your life (Pro) ■ How it's built ・No ads ・Everything stays on your device by default. iCloud sync is there if you want it ・No accounts, no sign-in A note on what this is not: once Face ID or your passcode has been entered, anyone holding your phone can read your notes. Decoy hides things from the people around you, not from someone with your unlocked phone. Keep passwords and PINs in a dedicated password manager. Decoy Pro is a one-time purchase. It removes the note limit and adds per-note reminders, separate lists, and control over how things look while locked. Terms of Use: https://suzukimari.com/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://suzukimari.com/privacy-policy.html

About

ShowMeTheNote

Read full description

Wake the screen. There's your list. The fresh meat's going fast. Your list shouldn't take twelve apps to find. ShowMeTheNote holds one note. Not a folder of notes, not a notebook — one. It's already open when you launch, already there when you glance at your Lock Screen, and it never asks you which note you meant. ONE NOTE, ALWAYS OPEN Open the app and you're typing. Nothing to name, nothing to file. ON YOUR LOCK SCREEN Tap the neon sign and your note lights up the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, so it's there while you shop, cook or pack. ON YOUR HOME SCREEN Small, medium and large widgets, plus a Lock Screen widget, all showing the note you're writing. TICK IT OFF Turn any line into a checklist item and tap the circle as you go. ARCHIVE, DON'T LOSE Done with a list? Archive it and start fresh. Search the archive when you need it back, then make it the active note again in one tap. YOURS ALONE Notes sync across your devices through your own iCloud account. No sign-up, no account, no tracking, nothing collected. FOUR LOOKS Navy & Ivory, Terracotta, Ochre and Sage, in light or dark.

Screenshots

Decoy4 screens
ShowMeTheNote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Decoy at 17.0 against ShowMeTheNote's 26.0. On price, ads, 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. Decoy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and ShowMeTheNote sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
Decoy versus ShowMeTheNote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDecoyShowMeTheNote
PriceFreeFree
Update frequency—Every 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMari SuzukiONGroove Labs

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Decoy

One-time1
  • Decoy Pro$4.99
3 purchases

ShowMeTheNote

One-time3
  • Small Coffee$0.99
  • Coffee$1.99
  • Large Coffee$3.99

Questions

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

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