Sorting Thoughts vs LocalNotes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sorting Thoughts
This app helps you organize your thoughts, tasks, and projects with a focus on privacy and security. It offers features like color-coding, password protection, and end-to-end encrypted syncing across devices.
- Private note-taking
- End-to-end encrypted sync
- Password protection
- Color markers
- Multiple collections
- Task and project management
- Attachments
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Simple, practical, private and sync-able that is Sorting Thoughts - a note taking app for private notes. Sorting Thoughts is a personal information and knowledge management app. It is designed to manage your thoughts such as moments of sudden inspirations, tasks, events, projects and anything else you may think of. The main aim of Sorting Thoughts is on delivering a trustworthy tool for your daily life in the knowledge-based society through security and simplicity. Furthermore, the sync service of Sorting Thoughts lets you sync all entries between multiple iOS devices and the desktop version. Privacy is a high value and for an app which collects personal notes essential. Sorting Thoughts abstains on cloud storage. All entered data stay on your device. The optional sync service used encrypted communication and a full end-to-end encryption. Only the device owner with the private key can decrypt the synced data. Additionally, the sync service collects no personal data like email addresses and the synced data will be automatically removed after a successful sync. The ensuring of privacy is a big concern for me as developer of Sorting Thoughts, because I'm a user too and enter my notes every day in Sorting Thoughts. Security feature summary: - no cloud storage - usage of Apple Data Protection - password protection (available with the Min Pack) - the optional sync service used a full end-to-end encryption with standardized technologies like RSA, AES and SSL/TLS Sorting Thoughts provides the following feature packs which are available via in-app purchasements: == 1. Free Pack == With the free feature package you can manage simple thoughts in a single thought collection. This package provides only the basic features and it is ideal to testing Sorting Thoughts. == 2. Min Pack == This package contains the password lock and color marker feature. It is ideal for users who want only manage simple thoughts with a password lock. == 3. Max Pack == This package contains all features of Sorting Thoughts but without the sync service. It is ideal for user who needs a powerful note taking app for the daily life. Feature list: Color marker - lets you mark thoughts with colors in the thought navigation tree Password lock - allows the locking of a collection Muliple collections - create multiple collections to separate work and private thoughts Projects, tasks and events - manage your projects, tasks and events and see what are your next tasks Attachments - add photos to your thoughts Tagging - use tags to find thoughts quicker Sub thoughts - create thought trees for a better thought structure Thought versions - remember the thought changes to reconstruct a train of thought == 4. Max Pack + Sync Service == With a one month or one year subscription you get all features of the "Max Pack" and the sync service. The sync service let's you sync thoughts between iOS devices and the desktop version of Sorting Thoughts 2.0. Your thought collections are synchronously on all your iOS devices and you can work across multiple devices. The service is developed by the 'privacy first' principle, that means no personal data are needed and the data transfer is completely end-to-end encrypted. Only the device owner can decrypt the sync data because only the owner holds the private key. Furthermore, the sync data will be deleted after a successful sync or after 30 days if the target device don't pick-up the data. The sync service fulfilled the strict European and German data protection guidelines. Sorting Thoughts required iOS / iPadOS 15.6 or newer. It comes in German or English. Privacy Policy: https://www.sortingthoughts.de/blog/datenschutz/ Terms of Service: https://www.sortingthoughts.de/blog/agb/
LocalNotes
Securely manage your notes with advanced encryption and local storage. This open-source app offers a user-friendly interface for creating, searching, and protecting your personal and professional information without cloud connections.
- AES 256 encryption
- Local storage only
- User-friendly interface
- Fast search functionality
- Open source
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Welcome to Local Notes, the ultimate solution for securely managing your notes. In a world where privacy and security are becoming increasingly important, Local Notes offers a reliable and trustworthy platform for your personal and professional notes. Highest security standards: Your data will always remain protected thanks to advanced AES 256 encryption and the use of PBKDF2/KDF. These security measures ensure that your notes are protected against unauthorized access. Local storage: With Local Notes, your data stays where it belongs - on your device. No cloud connection means nothing is transferred. This guarantees comprehensive data protection and gives you full control over your information. User-friendly design: The app features a clear, simple UI that is easily accessible for both tech-savvy and beginners. Create, manage and search your notes with ease and efficiency. Fast Search: Quickly find the information you need with our powerful search functionality, allowing you to navigate through your saved notes in seconds. Open source: As an open source app, Local Notes invites the community to experience the security and functionality of the application. Your contribution and feedback are valuable for continuous improvements and updates. Your confidential note app: Local Notes is more than just an app - it's a promise of security and privacy. Whether for work, study or personal thoughts – Local Notes is your safe companion in a digital world. Discover Local Notes now and experience how easy and secure managing notes can be.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Sorting Thoughts at Free against LocalNotes's $0.99. Sorting Thoughts also leads on rating (3.5 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (4 vs 1). LocalNotes's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 40%) and in-app purchases (none vs 6). On 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
Sorting Thoughts is free to download; LocalNotes costs $0.99 up front. Sorting Thoughts sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. LocalNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.
Sorting Thoughts holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 1 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of Sorting Thoughts's written reviews are positive against 75% of LocalNotes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Sorting Thoughts ships an update every 4 months, LocalNotes every 3 days. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.
| Parameter | Sorting Thoughts | LocalNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 3.5 (4 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hendrik Ebel | Christian Scheub |
Customer experience
Sorting Thoughts
LocalNotes
In-app purchases
Sorting Thoughts
- Max Pack + Sync 1 month$1.991 Month
- Max Pack + Sync 1 year$13.991 Year
- Min Pack$0.99
- Max Pack + Sync 1 month$1.99
- Max Pack$6.99
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- Max Pack + Sync 1 year$13.99
LocalNotes
No in-app purchases









