Nextcloud Notes vs ownCloud
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Nextcloud Notes
This app allows you to create, edit, and organize notes on your mobile device. It syncs seamlessly with a Nextcloud server, ensuring your notes are accessible across all your devices and the web interface. Supports plain text and markdown formatting for versatile note-taking.
- Syncs with Nextcloud server
- Create and delete notes
- Organize notes in categories
- Plain text editing
- Markdown formatting
- Export notes
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Note: Access to a Nextcloud server with the Notes app installed is required to use this app. Visit https://nextcloud.com for more information. Nextcloud Notes is a notes editor that syncs with the Notes app (https://github.com/nextcloud/notes/releases) on your server. Once you have logged in to your server, all notes will be kept in sync between devices and also the web interface. Optionally supports sync on startup. You can create and delete notes directly on the device. Notes can be organized in categories. Edit as plain text or use markdown for rich formatting. Notes can be copied or exported to other apps or services in several formats. If you have a sync client (optional) installed on your desktop computer all notes will be there too, and can be edited with any text editor.
ownCloud
Access, sync, and share your private cloud files securely across all your devices. Create, edit, and collaborate on documents with colleagues, ensuring your data is always up-to-date and accessible.
- Private file sync and share
- Cross-device synchronization
- Secure file sharing
- Create and edit files
- iOS Files integration
- Multi-select and drag-and-drop
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Your files. Your server. Your ownCloud. Connect to your ownCloud Infinite Scale (oCIS) or ownCloud Classic server and access your private cloud from anywhere. Open source, self-hosted, no third-party cloud required. ownCloud gives you full control over your data. Whether you're a teacher accessing the school cloud, a sysadmin managing a federated deployment, or someone who simply refuses to hand their files to a big-tech provider — this app is built for you. FEATURES - Browse, Edit and Create files Work with your files directly on your device with Files integration, built-in markup tools*, and the document scanner*. Switch between list view and three grid views — all updating live as changes happen locally or remotely. - Built-in viewers View common file types right in the app. Swipe through images in carousel view. Navigate PDFs using their table of contents or full-text search. - Spaces (oCIS) On ownCloud Infinite Scale servers, organise work into Spaces with dedicated permissions, members, and quotas. Full Spaces support is built in. - Sharing and Collaboration Share files and folders with other users on the same server or externally via public links. Fine-grained permissions, password protection, and expiry dates give you control over every share. - Search (Local and Remote) Filter by date, size, type, or location. Save searches and create reusable templates. Local search works fully offline. On oCIS servers, server-side search can also find content inside files (depending on server configuration). - Offline Support Mark files and folders for offline availability. Work without a connection. Changes sync automatically when you're back online. Built from the ground up with offline-first in mind. - Multiple Accounts Connect to several ownCloud servers and accounts simultaneously. Switch between them seamlessly. - Deep OS Integration Native iPadOS multitasking, drag and drop, File Provider, and Shortcuts support. Built by developers who care about how apps should feel on Apple platforms. - Security The app tracks your server's TLS certificates and warns you about unexpected changes. Review certificate details (including a diff of what changed) and accept or reject — right from the app. * Some features may require an In-App Purchase or Subscription. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS iOS 15.4 or later, iPadOS 15.4 or later ABOUT OWNCLOUD ownCloud is the original open source platform for self-hosted file sync, share, and collaboration. Founded in 2010 in Germany, ownCloud is trusted by millions of users in education, government, research, and enterprise worldwide. ownCloud is maintained by Kiteworks through its Open Source Program Office. Learn more: https://owncloud.com/ Open source: https://github.com/owncloud/ios-app/ Terms of Use: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/owncloud/ios-app/master/LICENSE Privacy Policy: https://owncloud.com/privacy-statement/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: ownCloud at 4.5 against Nextcloud Notes's 2.2. ownCloud also leads on ratings volume (352 vs 94) and iOS requirement (15.4 vs 17.0). Nextcloud Notes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, review sentiment, ads 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
Both are free to download. ownCloud sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per year. Nextcloud Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.
ownCloud holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 94 and 352 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of Nextcloud Notes's written reviews are positive against 32% of ownCloud's.
Nextcloud Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, ownCloud every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Nextcloud Notes | ownCloud |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.2 (94 ratings) | 4.5 (352 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 27.3% of reviews | 32.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 94 | 352 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nextcloud GmbH | ownCloud GmbH |
Customer experience
Nextcloud Notes
ownCloud
User reviews
Nextcloud Notes
From 94 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✅ Successfully syncs with Nextcloud instances
- ⚡ Improving performance and reliability over time
- 📝 Simple, lightweight note-taking interface
- 🔒 Privacy-focused with self-hosted option
- 📱 Cross-platform availability (iOS, Android)
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent data loss and note deletion issues
- 🔌 Unreliable synchronization with server
- 🔐 Login and authentication failures
- ⚠️ Poor handling of connection interruptions
- 📉 App crashes and force-closes required
ownCloud
From 352 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Good Dropbox alternative with privacy control
- 🚀 Fast synchronization when working properly
- 📱 Works well on desktop and iOS
- 🎨 Clean, modern user interface
- ♿ Accessible for VoiceOver users
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- ⏱️ Slow file loading and navigation
- 📤 Unreliable upload functionality
- 🔄 Inconsistent synchronization issues
- 🔋 High battery consumption
Bugs and requests
Nextcloud Notes
Reported bugs
19 issues- Notes randomly appear empty and lose content
- Empty files being saved to server
- Login resets to default server address
- 404 errors when getting settings
- Sync fails with large note collections
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- Navigation menu disappears after editing
- Keyboard covers input area
- Search field disappears after closing notes
- Cursor jumps to top of note while typing
- App disconnects during editing
- Session timeout errors with non-dismissible dialogs
- Conflict resolution interface unreadable
- Cannot switch between markdown and preview modes
- Notes don't upload from mobile to server
- Inconsistent note naming behavior
- App overwrites server files without checking versions
- Login fails with self-hosted servers
- App password authentication not supported
- Slow text input with 100ms delay per character
Requested features
17 requests- Text formatting options (bold, underline, italics)
- File and image attachment support
- Note categorization and organization
- Pin important notes to top
- Ability to rename notes easily
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- Offline mode with local caching
- Multi-account/profile switching
- Real-time collaborative editing
- Undo/redo functionality
- App-specific password support
- End-to-end encryption support
- Checkbox functionality in reading mode
- Share to Notes from other apps
- App lock with biometric authentication
- Direct note opening to preview page
- Remember app state on restart
- Mac app availability
ownCloud
Reported bugs
33 issues- App crashes on startup
- Login screen freezes
- Files app integration returns unknown errors
- Blank screen on certain iPhone models
- Screen rotation breaks file list display
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- Photo upload limited to 3 at a time
- Videos lose metadata during upload
- App closes unexpectedly
- Preview crashes when viewing images
- Media access permission issues
- Infinite loading without results
- Files disappear from folders
- Duplicate file downloads
- Upload stuck in pending state indefinitely
- Annotation changes not saved
- Hand/palm movements close documents during annotation
- iOS 18 compatibility issues
- iOS 16 compatibility issues
- Offline files not cached without internet
- Shortcuts fail silently without in-app purchase
- Make available offline hangs after first file
- OAuth grant expires after device restart
- Invalid grant errors on photo sync
- App hangs waiting for server response
- Scanning documents causes crashes
- Folders become inaccessible after failed uploads
- App requests password every 2 minutes
- Dark mode text visibility issues
- HEIC format instead of JPEG on upload
- CSRF check failed on share link creation
- Slow download speeds compared to web version
- Battery drain in background
- Synced files in hidden/unusable directories
Requested features
20 requests- Ability to unload/delete offline files
- Cancel/stop upload functionality
- Upload only on WiFi option
- Show upload progress percentage
- Show file sizes in status
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- Priority queue for uploads
- Folder upload capability
- Text file editing support
- Activity/modification tracking
- Turkish language support
- Automatic backup for all phone data
- Photo gallery-style grid view with adjustable tiles
- Swipe-down gesture to exit image view
- Separate Photos/Videos menu tab
- Improved web media access for faster photo viewing
- Video controls for offline playback
- External storage support visibility
- Disable global search option for large folders
- Notification badge removal option
- Share links creation without CSRF errors
In-app purchases
Nextcloud Notes
No in-app purchases
ownCloud
- Pro Features$1.991 Year
- 30 Day Pro TrialFree
- Document Scanner$2.99
- Shortcuts Actions$2.99
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- Markup Documents$2.99
- Photo Pro Features$2.99
Questions
Is Nextcloud Notes free?
Is ownCloud free?
Which has better reviews, Nextcloud Notes or ownCloud?
Do Nextcloud Notes or ownCloud have ads?
Which is updated more often, Nextcloud Notes or ownCloud?
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