# DS note vs Filebar

The clearest difference is rating: Filebar at 4.3 against DS note's 2.8. Filebar also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 31%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). DS note's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Filebar sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. DS note asks for nothing beyond the download.

Filebar holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 109 and 345 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of DS note's written reviews are positive against 67% of Filebar's.

DS note ships an update every 3 months, Filebar every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | DS note | Filebar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.8 (109 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ds-note/id918177542/reviews) | **[4.3 (345 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/filebar-media-player/id1558391784/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 109 | **345** |
| Positive reviews | 30.7% of reviews | **66.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 38 MB | 142 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Synology Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/321493109) | [水峰 徐](https://appshunter.io/developer/1434954330) |

## What reviewers say

### DS note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ds-note/id918177542)

Create, organize, and share notes anywhere, even offline. This app syncs with your personal cloud storage, allowing you to manage to-do lists, project information, and memories. Organize with tags, notebooks, and shortcuts for easy access and sharing.

**Highlights:** Note creation and editing, Offline access, Tagging and notebook organization, Note sharing, Sync with Synology NAS

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🔒 Data stored on personal NAS for privacy
- 🔄 Reliable synchronization across devices
- 💰 Free alternative to Evernote
- 📱 Available on multiple platforms (iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Web)
- ✅ Simple and intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Notes disappear when app left open without saving
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and app instability
- 🐛 Copy-paste functionality unreliable
- 🐛 Keyboard arrow keys don't work on iPad
- 🐛 Apple Pencil causes app crashes

**Reported bugs**

- Notes content erased when leaving app open
- App crashes on startup
- App crashes when using Apple Pencil
- App crashes during text input with swipe-to-text
- App crashes when printing

**Requested features**

- Dark mode for all platforms
- Apple Pencil support for iPad
- Arrow key support for Bluetooth keyboards
- Auto-save functionality
- Offline mode for note creation


### Filebar

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/filebar-media-player/id1558391784)

A versatile multimedia player that handles video and music playback from local files, cloud services, and media servers. It also includes robust file management capabilities for both local and remote storage.

**Highlights:** Plays numerous video formats (MP4, MKV, AVI, etc.), Supports local and cloud music playback (MP3, FLAC), Manages cloud services (SMB, WebDAV, FTP, SFTP), Browse and play from media servers (Plex, Emby), Comprehensive file management (move, copy, delete), Batch renaming for files and folders

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Filebar Pro Lifetime | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy and convenient to use
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 🔒 Secure file management
- 💡 Excellent media playback capabilities

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔥 Overheating issues on certain devices
- 🕰️ Slow loading times for large media libraries
- 🚫 Lack of support for certain cloud storage services

**Reported bugs**

- Playback issues with 4K and high-bitrate videos
- Inconsistent behavior when connecting to SMB/FTP servers
- Subtitle display problems, especially for Chinese characters
- Inability to resume playback from the last position

**Requested features**

- Add support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos
- Implement a more intuitive and customizable user interface
- Introduce a background download/upload feature
- Add a built-in subtitle search and download functionality
- Implement a cross-device playback sync feature


## Frequently asked questions

### Is DS note free?

DS note is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Filebar free?

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

### Which has better reviews, DS note or Filebar?

Filebar is rated higher. DS note averages 2.8 out of 5 from 109 ratings, while Filebar averages 4.3 from 345 ratings.

### Do DS note or Filebar have ads?

Neither DS note nor Filebar shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, DS note or Filebar?

DS note ships an update every 3 months, and Filebar every 2 weeks. Most recently, DS note was updated on October 17, 2026 and Filebar on October 18, 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.*