Nextcloud Notes vs WriteFreely
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.
WriteFreely
A minimalist blogging app for seamless web publishing. Write in a distraction-free editor and publish to your blog or any compatible writing community. Supports offline drafting and synchronization with your WriteFreely account.
- Distraction-free editor
- Offline drafting and editing
- Sync posts with WriteFreely account
- Publish to multiple blogs
- Dark mode option
- Open source platform
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WriteFreely for iOS gives you a seamless way to publish your thoughts on the web. Write your thoughts in its clean, distraction-free editor, and then publish to your blog or any writing community powered by the WriteFreely software. WriteFreely for iOS supports Write.as and self-hosted WriteFreely instances. If you're not hosting your own instance, visit https://writefreely.org/instances to find a community to join! # Just Write WriteFreely for iOS includes only what you need to write and publish, so you can focus on your words. It launches straight to the editor, so you can get your thoughts down before they vanish. # Write Offline Draft and edit blog posts offline on your iPhone or iPad, and publish whenever you're ready. If you don't publish a post, it remains safe and private on your device. # Stay Synchronized Log in to any WriteFreely instance you have an account on, and sync posts from your WriteFreely account to your device. # Publish Widely Publish to multiple blogs on your account, and move posts between blogs and Drafts with a few quick taps. # Light Customization Make it your own by choosing a default font for your posts, and whether or not you'd like to write in dark mode. # Freedom The WriteFreely platform is built entirely on open source software, from the server-side to this iOS app. Rest easy knowing you ultimately control your publishing tools, and visit https://writefreely.org/contribute to find out how you can contribute.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Nextcloud Notes at Free against WriteFreely's $11.99. Nextcloud Notes also leads on ratings volume (94 vs 8). WriteFreely's advantage is rating (4.1 vs 2.2) and review sentiment (44% vs 27%). On update cadence, 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
Nextcloud Notes is free to download; WriteFreely costs $11.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
WriteFreely holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nextcloud Notes has 94 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of Nextcloud Notes's written reviews are positive against 44% of WriteFreely's.
Nextcloud Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, WriteFreely every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and August 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Nextcloud Notes | WriteFreely |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $11.99 |
| Rating | 2.2 (94 ratings) | 4.1 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 27.3% of reviews | 44.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 94 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #199 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nextcloud GmbH | Musing Studio LLC |
Customer experience
Nextcloud Notes
WriteFreely
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
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- 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
WriteFreely
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Nextcloud Notes
No in-app purchases
WriteFreely
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Nextcloud Notes free?
Is WriteFreely free?
Which has better reviews, Nextcloud Notes or WriteFreely?
Do Nextcloud Notes or WriteFreely have ads?
Which is updated more often, Nextcloud Notes or WriteFreely?
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