Comparison

Branchnote vs ScrollArc

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

Head to head
About

Branchnote

Organize your thoughts with a unique branching system, where each topic has its own container. Write and format notes using Markdown, with a convenient toolbar for easy styling. Secure your notes with a passcode or biometrics, and easily back them up.

Highlights
  • Organize notes by topic branches
  • Markdown formatting with toolbar
  • Full-text search with highlighted excerpts
  • Passcode and biometric lock
  • Notes backup and restore functionality
Features
Read full description

Branchnote is a notes app organized around branches — named containers, one per topic, with every note living in exactly one of them. Instead of folders to navigate, you get a feed: every note you have in a single list, each tagged with the branch it came from. Tap a tag to jump straight there. No account needed. Open the app and start writing. ORGANIZE BY TOPIC Make a branch for work, recipes, reading, half-formed ideas — whatever you actually keep notes about. Move a note to a different branch whenever something ends up in the wrong place. WRITE IN MARKDOWN Headings, bold, italics, links, bullet and numbered lists, and checkboxes you can check off right in the note — nested up to four levels. Formatting renders as you type, and a toolbar above the keyboard applies any of it without your having to remember the syntax. FIND ANYTHING Full-text search across every note, ranked by relevance, with matching excerpts pulled out and your search terms highlighted in the results. LOCK IT Set a passcode and Branchnote locks every time you return to it. Unlock with your passcode, or with biometrics if your device supports it. Your notes stay covered in the app switcher. BACK IT UP Copy your notes into a single file and save it wherever you like, then restore it whenever you need to.

About

ScrollArc

Features
Read full description

Finish the long AI answers and repository documents worth keeping. ScrollArc turns AI conversation exports, Markdown files, and GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket documents into one calm reading library—with your place saved automatically. AI conversations, ready to read • Import supported ZIP and JSON conversation exports • Preview conversations and choose only what you want to save • Convert supported text on your device without sending it to an AI model • Keep imported documents available offline GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket in one reader • Import public Markdown from all three providers for free • Connect private repositories with ScrollArc Plus • Keep READMEs, specifications, runbooks, and technical notes together • Preview additions and removals before updating the local copy Built to finish long documents • Return to the exact reading position you left • Use Reading Map to see headings, progress, and structured sections • Search inside a document and move between results • Adjust text size, line spacing, content width, and themes Markdown that stays readable • Syntax-highlighted code, tables, task lists, quotes, links, and images • Math and Mermaid diagrams rendered on your device • Full-screen Mermaid viewer with pinch-to-zoom Keep, compare, and take your work with you • Export the original Markdown for free • Export PDF or self-contained HTML with ScrollArc Plus • Create highlights and bookmarks with Plus • Keep local version history, compare readable diffs, and restore an earlier version with Plus Private by design No account. No ads. Your document text stays in the app's local storage. ScrollArc does not upload your documents or analyze them with AI. You can delete one document or clear the entire local library at any time. Release builds send limited feature-use totals and crash diagnostics; document text, titles, filenames, search terms, repository names, links, and annotations are never included. Free and ScrollArc Plus The free version saves up to ten documents and includes the complete reading experience, AI export import, public repository import, and Markdown export. ScrollArc Plus removes the document limit and adds private GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket connections, local version history with diff and restore, PDF and HTML export, and new highlights and bookmarks. Existing documents and annotations are not deleted when a subscription ends. Monthly and yearly plans are available; localized prices and billing periods appear on the purchase screen. Manage or cancel through your Apple Account and restore an eligible purchase from Settings. ScrollArc is a focused AI Markdown reader—not an editor or AI chat service. It gives long conversations, reports, READMEs, specifications, and technical notes a better place to be read. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Branchnote4 screens
ScrollArc4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Branchnote at none against ScrollArc's 2. ScrollArc's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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. ScrollArc sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Branchnote asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Branchnote versus ScrollArc: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBranchnoteScrollArc
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB48 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBranchnote LLCByungJo Ahn

In-app purchases

None

Branchnote

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

ScrollArc

Subscriptions2
  • ScrollArc Plus Monthly$1.991 Month
  • ScrollArc Plus Annual$17.991 Year

Questions

Is Branchnote free?
Branchnote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ScrollArc free?
ScrollArc is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Branchnote or ScrollArc have ads?
Neither Branchnote nor ScrollArc shows ads.

Other comparisons