Comparison

FOSDEM vs OctoNote

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

FOSDEM

This app provides an up-to-date schedule for the European Open Source conference. Star your favorite talks to easily navigate the event and access videos from previous years' sessions. It's a donationware app to help support its development.

Highlights
  • Up-to-date conference schedule
  • Favorite talk selection
  • Access to previous year's videos
  • Offline schedule access
  • Donationware model
Features
Read full description

Schedule app for FOSDEM, the European Open Source conference. The conference is held in Brussels every year at the beginning of February. This app gives you an up to data schedule and you can star your favorite talk so you can see where to go next. You can also select the schedules of the previous year, and have them selected as favorites (thumbs-up) as well. If there is video available of the talks of the previous years, you can watch the video, so you have something to watch in case the room of your preferred talk is too full. This is donationware. The previous developers (Adam Ziolkowski and Leon Handreke) would like to have some beer donated at the conference. Me, (Johan Henselmans), I prefer a nice cup of coffee, some 'Belgische frieten' and a reserved seat in some talks. FOSDEM name and the 'gear' logo are trademarks of FOSDEM VZW. Used with permission.

About

OctoNote

This app lets you write and store notes in markdown format, syncing them directly to your GitHub Gists. It offers beautiful rendering, code syntax highlighting, and version control for organized and accessible notes.

Highlights
  • Markdown writing and rendering
  • GitHub Gists integration
  • Code syntax highlighting
  • Live preview
  • Version history
  • Secret Gists (Premium)
  • Custom syntax themes (Premium)
Features
Read full description

OctoNote - GitHub Powered Markdown Notes THE POWER OF GITHUB MEETS BEAUTIFUL NOTE-TAKING OctoNote transforms the way developers and power users take notes by harnessing GitHub Gists—giving you cloud sync, version control, and universal access without the bloat of traditional note apps. Write in markdown. Save to GitHub. Access anywhere. MARKDOWN DONE RIGHT - Gorgeous rendering that makes your notes look like miniature websites - Full syntax highlighting for code blocks—perfect for developers - Seamless editing with a clean, distraction-free interface - Live preview to see your formatted notes as you write GITHUB GISTS INTEGRATION - Automatic sync to your GitHub profile—your notes live where your code lives - Edit anywhere through GitHub's web interface or OctoNote - Version history built in—never lose a previous version - Share effortlessly via Gist URLs with beautiful browser rendering - No vendor lock-in—your notes are standard markdown on GitHub BUILT FOR DEVELOPERS & POWER USERS Whether you're documenting code snippets, maintaining technical wikis, or organizing project notes, OctoNote gives you the tools you need: - Save meeting notes with code examples - Maintain personal knowledge bases - Share formatted documentation instantly - Keep research organized with tags and structure OCTONOTE PREMIUM Upgrade to unlock the full power of private note-taking: - Secret Gists that don't appear in public search - Custom syntax formatting themes (11+ beautiful options from Xcode Light to Atom One Dark) - Flair for your app icon - Private by default for sensitive work notes and personal journals SIMPLE. POWERFUL. YOURS. OctoNote doesn't try to be everything—it's focused on doing one thing exceptionally well: giving you beautiful, powerful markdown notes backed by the reliability of GitHub. No proprietary formats. No complicated export processes. Just your notes, in standard markdown, stored safely on GitHub and accessible from anywhere. Perfect for: - Software developers and engineers - Technical writers and documentation specialists - Students studying computer science - Anyone who loves markdown and wants their notes future-proof REQUIREMENTS OctoNote requires a GitHub account (free accounts work perfectly). All features—both standard and Premium—are available to users with any GitHub account tier. Download OctoNote today and transform the way you take notes.

Screenshots

FOSDEM4 screens
OctoNote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: OctoNote at 60% against FOSDEM's 20%. OctoNote also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 13 months). FOSDEM's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. OctoNote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. FOSDEM asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FOSDEM ships an update every 13 months, OctoNote every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
FOSDEM versus OctoNote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFOSDEMOctoNote
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.7 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews20.0% of reviews60.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—10 — better
Update frequencyEvery 13 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size131 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTimerotBase11 Studios Ltd

Customer experience

FOSDEM

Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%

OctoNote

All ratings10 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative30.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

In-app purchases

None

FOSDEM

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

OctoNote

Subscriptions2
  • Premium (Monthly)$1.991 Month
  • Premium (Yearly)$11.991 Year
One-time1
  • OctoNote Premium - Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is FOSDEM free?
FOSDEM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is OctoNote free?
OctoNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do FOSDEM or OctoNote have ads?
Neither FOSDEM nor OctoNote shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FOSDEM or OctoNote?
FOSDEM ships an update every 13 months, and OctoNote every 2 months. Most recently, FOSDEM was updated on October 10, 2026 and OctoNote on October 24, 2026.

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