# Secure Notepad vs Private Notes

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Private Notes at 100% against Secure Notepad's 70%. Private Notes also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Secure Notepad's advantage is ratings volume (13K vs 11) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Secure Notepad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Private Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Private Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Secure Notepad has 13K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Secure Notepad's written reviews are positive against 100% of Private Notes's.

Secure Notepad ships an update every 5 months, Private Notes every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Secure Notepad | Private Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secure-notepad/id711178888/reviews) | **[5.0 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/private-notes-ai-note-taker/id6752633041/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **13K** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | 69.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 3 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dmytro Vynokurov](https://appshunter.io/developer/350017076) | [App Incubator Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1527929929) |

## What reviewers say

### Secure Notepad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/secure-notepad/id711178888)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Notes | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### Private Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/private-notes-ai-note-taker/id6752633041)

This app transcribes and summarizes audio recordings entirely on your device, ensuring complete privacy. It offers real-time transcription, AI-generated summaries of key points and action items, and supports multiple languages, all without requiring an internet connection or account.

**Highlights:** 100% on-device processing, Real-time transcription, AI-powered summaries, Multilingual support (10 languages), Offline functionality, Export in Markdown

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Plan | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Plan | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly Plan | $24.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Secure Notepad free?

Secure Notepad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Private Notes free?

Private Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Secure Notepad or Private Notes?

Private Notes is rated higher. Secure Notepad averages 4.7 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while Private Notes averages 5.0 from 11 ratings.

### Do Secure Notepad or Private Notes have ads?

Neither Secure Notepad nor Private Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Secure Notepad or Private Notes?

Secure Notepad ships an update every 5 months, and Private Notes every 3 weeks. Most recently, Secure Notepad was updated on October 13, 2026 and Private Notes on September 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*