# Transom Note vs Minimal | Notes

The clearest difference is monetization model: Transom Note at free with in-app purchases against Minimal | Notes's subscription. Transom Note also leads on iOS requirement (12.1 vs 17.0). Minimal | Notes's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (81% vs 70%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Transom Note sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Minimal | Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Transom Note against 4.7 for Minimal | Notes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 82 and 296 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Transom Note's written reviews are positive against 81% of Minimal | Notes's.

Transom Note ships an update every 3 months, Minimal | Notes monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Transom Note | Minimal | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (82 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/transom-note-taker-for-writers/id927983947/reviews) | **[4.7 (296 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minimal-notes/id1442727443/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 82 | **296** |
| Positive reviews | 69.8% of reviews | **81.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 36 MB | 59 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.1** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [VoidMedia](https://appshunter.io/developer/667728532) | [Timeless](https://appshunter.io/developer/1183067513) |

## What reviewers say

### Transom Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/transom-note-taker-for-writers/id927983947)

Capture, tag, and organize your writing ideas effortlessly. This app helps writers keep track of every thought, project, and tag, making it easy to retrieve them when inspiration strikes. Export your notes in various formats for seamless integration into your writing workflow.

**Highlights:** Capture and tag ideas, Organize thoughts by project, Search by tag or project, Archive or delete notes, Export notes as PDF, CSV, or rich-text

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Prompt Credit | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Beautifully simple interface
- ✍️ Indispensable for writers
- 💡 Great for organizing thoughts
- 🚀 Easy to use and capture ideas
- ✅ Helpful for multiple projects

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 📉 Data loss after updates
- 🔒 Login required for data access
- 🗄️ Older versions preferred by some
- 🚫 Lacks export options

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes while writing
- App crashes when holding on a tag
- App crashes when adding emojis
- App crashes upon opening after updates
- Notes doubled up after login

**Requested features**

- Add image support
- Word count per day display
- More font choices
- Emoji support
- Assign tags to projects


### Minimal | Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minimal-notes/id1442727443)

This app offers a distraction-free writing environment inspired by meditation. It features collaborative writing, note expiration, and the ability to publish notes as websites. Organize tasks with integrated to-do lists and sync across all your Apple devices.

**Highlights:** Note Lifetime reminders, Collaborative writing, Publish notes as websites, Todo lists sync with Calendar, Beautiful formatting, Sync across Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Minimal Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Minimal Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| Minimal Family Plan | $79.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent note-taking app
- 👍 Beautiful and simple design
- 🚀 Seamless syncing across devices
- 👍 Customizable appearance and formatting
- 🚀 Responsive and helpful developer

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Lack of password protection or locking for notes
- 💰 Expensive subscription model

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when using certain formatting or pasting content
- Syncing issues between iOS and macOS versions
- Incompatibility with older macOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add ability to insert images or attachments
- Improve iCloud sync reliability
- Implement a folder-based organization system
- Add a word/character count feature


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Transom Note free?

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

### Is Minimal | Notes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Transom Note or Minimal | Notes?

Minimal | Notes is rated higher. Transom Note averages 4.6 out of 5 from 82 ratings, while Minimal | Notes averages 4.7 from 296 ratings.

### Do Transom Note or Minimal | Notes have ads?

Neither Transom Note nor Minimal | Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Transom Note or Minimal | Notes?

Transom Note ships an update every 3 months, and Minimal | Notes monthly. Most recently, Transom Note was updated on October 20, 2026 and Minimal | Notes on October 22, 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.*