Nextcloud Notes vs Element Note
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.
Element Note
This app offers a distraction-free digital notebook experience with advanced handwriting, PDF annotation, and sketching capabilities. It features unique brushes, a powerful rendering engine, and smart organization tools. Sync your notes across devices and collaborate with others seamlessly.
- Unique handwriting brushes
- Smooth drawing engine
- PDF annotation
- Text, shape, and image attachments
- On-device OCR search
- Smart dark mode
- iCloud sync and collaboration
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Element Note is the next-gen note taking, PDF annotation, and light sketching app. We stripped down the unnecessaries and carefully polished the elemental functions for a digital notebook. With a modern look and powerful features, Element Note strives to provide an elegant writing space free of distractions. Features: Unique brushes - Pencil (HB Pencil, Mechanical Pencil) - Pen (Pen, Line Pen, Fountain Pen) - Brush (Art Brush, Round Brush) - Marker (Marker, Round Marker) Best-in-class note rendering engine - Smooth and fluid drawing powered by Metal technology - Support gradient ink for more expressive notes Powerful attachments - Text - Shape - Sticker - Image Universal Search - Search through your PDF & Handwritting using on device OCR Smart Darkmode - Smartly adapts all of your notes to the system darkmode without changing the paper or stroke colors. iCloud Sync & Collaboration - Sync via your personal iCloud (No data is passed to our server) - Collaborate through iCloud collaboration for up to 100 users. Desktop class organization - Intuitive multi-select drag and drop gesture to organize your notes or pages Element Note is free to try for up to 3 notes. Unlock the full app with an in app purchase to create unlimited notes. Terms and Conditions https://elementnote.app/terms Privacy Policy https://elementnote.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Element Note at 4.6 against Nextcloud Notes's 2.2. Element Note also leads on review sentiment (68% vs 27%) and ratings volume (2.6K vs 94). Nextcloud Notes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5). On price, ads, device support 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
Both are free to download. Element Note sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 per year. Nextcloud Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.
Element Note holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Element Note has 2.6K ratings behind it against 94, 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 68% of Element Note's.
Nextcloud Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, Element Note fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Nextcloud Notes | Element Note |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.2 (94 ratings) | 4.6 (2.6K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 27.3% of reviews | 68.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 94 | 2.6K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 129 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nextcloud GmbH | Soysauce Lab |
Customer experience
Nextcloud Notes
Element Note
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
Element Note
From 2.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth handwriting experience
- 💡 Customizable pens and colors
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 🎨 Gradient and gradient brush tools
- 📚 Great for journaling and note-taking
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Search function not working
- 🖼️ Issues with image handling and export
- 🔀 Difficulty switching between pen and eraser
- 🔑 Lack of password/locking feature for notes
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
Element Note
Reported bugs
4 issues- Notes and files randomly disappearing
- Inconsistent behavior when using the floating keyboard
- Handwriting recognition not working as expected
- Exported PDFs losing formatting and background colors
Requested features
6 requests- Ruler tool
- Ability to resize/rotate selections
- Improved text editing and formatting
- Presentation mode for connecting to displays
- Ability to import/export multiple files at once
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- Seasonal or custom sticker packs
In-app purchases
Nextcloud Notes
No in-app purchases
Element Note
- Element Note Yearly$3.491 Year
- Element Note Yearly$4.991 Year
- Lifetime Launch Special$4.99
- Lifetime$9.99
- Lifetime$14.99
Questions
Is Nextcloud Notes free?
Is Element Note free?
Which has better reviews, Nextcloud Notes or Element Note?
Do Nextcloud Notes or Element Note have ads?
Which is updated more often, Nextcloud Notes or Element Note?
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