Comparison

Secure Notepad vs Notesnook

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

Head to head
About

Secure Notepad

Securely store personal notes, contacts, and passwords with password protection. Features a simple interface, biometric unlock options, and password recovery. Keep your sensitive information private and organized.

Highlights
  • Password protection for all notes
  • Biometric unlock (Face ID/Touch ID)
  • Sort notes by date or alphabetically
  • Automatic app lock
  • Password recovery via security question
  • Recover recently deleted notes
Features
Read full description

This app will let you save personal notes, contacts, and passwords as well as any other personal or secret information which will be hidden from strangers' eyes and securely protected by a password. The free version has no ads! Another great feature of Secure Notepad is its simplicity and ease of use. The app has a clean and user-friendly interface, allowing you to quickly and easily create and edit notes. If you have forgotten your password for entering the app, it can be easily restored by answering the security question. Key features: • Very easy to use. • All of your notes are securely protected and accessible only to you. • Use Face ID or Touch ID to unlock the app. • Sort your notes by date or alphabetically. • Automatic lock (you have 30 seconds to return to the app without entering the password). • Restore password by answering the security question. • Ability to recover recently deleted notes. Whether you're taking notes in class, brainstorming ideas for a project, or just jotting down your thoughts, Secure Notepad is a great choice for keeping your information secure and organized. With its strong password protection and advanced security features, you can be sure that your notes will always be safe and secure.

About

Notesnook

This open-source app offers secure, encrypted note-taking and organization across all your devices. It features a robust editor, to-do lists, and a private journal with advanced security to protect your personal information.

Highlights
  • Military-grade encryption
  • Cross-platform synchronization
  • To-do lists and task management
  • Private journal with media support
  • Rich text and Markdown editor
  • Notebook organization
  • App lock with fingerprint support
Features
Read full description

Your notes are yours. Notesnook encrypts every one of them on your device before it ever reaches the cloud — so no one can read them. Not advertisers, not us. UNLIMITED NOTES. EVERY DEVICE. FREE. Most note apps cap the free plan until it hurts. Others stop after a few dozen notes. Notesnook never limits how much you write or how many devices you sync. A REAL EDITOR Headings, tables, code blocks, maths, outlines, Markdown and full-quality images. Notes that hold up whether you are writing a shopping list or a thesis chapter. ORGANISED AT ANY SIZE Nested notebooks, tags, colours, pinned and favourite notes, and search that stays instant at 10,000 notes. Link notes to each other and build your own private wiki. PRIVACY YOU CAN CHECK YOURSELF • End-to-end encryption is always on — you cannot switch it off, so you cannot forget • Encrypted on your device, in transit and at rest, using XChaCha20-Poly1305 and Argon2 • Even your notebook and tag names are encrypted • 100% open source under AGPLv3 — read every line, or run your own sync server • Recommended by Privacy Guides IMPORT YOUR OLD NOTES Bring your notes, notebooks and tags with you. Import from your previous notes app, plus plain Markdown and HTML files. EVERYWHERE YOU WRITE iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web. Sync is instant, and encrypted the whole way. ALSO INSIDE • Web clipper — save any article, ad-free and offline • Reminders across all your devices • Note version history, so nothing is ever really lost • Publish a note to a shareable link • Dark mode and custom themes FREE FOREVER Unlimited notes, unlimited devices, 50 notebooks, 50 tags and full end-to-end encryption. No ads. No trial countdown. PAID PLANS Add task lists, callouts, recurring reminders, more storage, and — on Pro — app lock, an encrypted vault and full-quality images. From $19.99 a year. Questions or feedback: support@streetwriters.co Privacy policy: https://notesnook.com/privacy Terms: https://notesnook.com/terms

Screenshots

Secure Notepad4 screens
Notesnook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Notesnook at weekly against Secure Notepad's every 5 months. Notesnook also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 70%). Secure Notepad's advantage is ratings volume (13K vs 670). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Secure Notepad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Notesnook sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Secure Notepad against 4.7 for Notesnook. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Secure Notepad has 13K ratings behind it against 670, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Secure Notepad's written reviews are positive against 79% of Notesnook's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Secure Notepad ships an update every 5 months, Notesnook weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Secure Notepad versus Notesnook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSecure NotepadNotesnook
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (13K ratings)4.7 (670 ratings)
Positive reviews69.9% of reviews78.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings13K — better670
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB89 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDmytro VynokurovStreetwriters LLC

Customer experience

Secure Notepad

All ratings13,196 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral3.1%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews558 reviews
Positive69.9%
Neutral9.3%
Negative20.8%

Notesnook

All ratings670 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral2.4%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews398 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral6.5%
Negative14.8%

User reviews

Secure Notepad

From 13K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🔒 Password protection
  • 🔒 Security question for password recovery
  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 🚀 Straightforward note-taking
  • 🔒 Prevents others from accessing private notes

Room to improve

  • 💰 Paid version required for more than 3 notes
  • 🐛 Notes disappearing or not syncing across devices
  • 🐛 Password/security question issues
  • 🔒 Lack of customization options

Notesnook

From 670 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient
  • 🔒 Secure and private
  • 👍 Clean and intuitive UI
  • 👍 Cross-platform compatibility
  • 👍 Generous free tier

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync and login issues
  • 🐛 Buggy and crashes
  • 💰 Expensive premium tier
  • 🔒 Lack of free encryption features

Bugs and requests

Secure Notepad

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashing or freezing
  • Inability to restore deleted notes
  • Sync issues between iOS devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to change app icon
  • Syncing notes across devices
  • More formatting options (bold, italic, etc.)
  • Ability to organize notes into folders
  • Dark mode option

Notesnook

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on launch on older iOS devices
  • Sync issues leading to data loss
  • Unreliable login and verification process

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved search functionality
  • Reminders and calendar integration
  • Handwriting and drawing support
  • Multilingual support
  • Improved table and spreadsheet features

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Secure Notepad

One-time1
  • Unlimited Notes$9.99
17 purchases

Notesnook

Subscriptions17
  • Notesnook Pro$0.991 Month
  • Notesnook Essential Plan7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Notesnook Pro$2.491 Month
Show 14 more
  • Notesnook Pro Plan7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Notesnook Pro3 variants$4.491 Month
  • Notesnook Pro1 Month trial$4.491 Month
  • Notesnook Pro Plan7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Notesnook Believer Plan7 Days trial$8.991 Month
  • Notesnook Pro$9.991 Year
  • Notesnook Essential Plan14 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro$24.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro Plan14 Days trial$29.901 Year
  • Notesnook Pro Yearly$49.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro2 variants$49.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro1 Year trial$49.991 Year
  • Notesnook Pro Plan14 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Notesnook Believer Plan14 Days trial$89.991 Year

Questions

Is Secure Notepad free?
Secure Notepad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Notesnook free?
Notesnook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Secure Notepad or Notesnook?
Secure Notepad and Notesnook are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 13K and 670 ratings respectively.
Do Secure Notepad or Notesnook have ads?
Neither Secure Notepad nor Notesnook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Secure Notepad or Notesnook?
Secure Notepad ships an update every 5 months, and Notesnook weekly. Most recently, Secure Notepad was updated on October 9, 2026 and Notesnook on October 7, 2026.

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