# FOSDEM vs OctoNote

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.

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

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | FOSDEM | OctoNote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[3.7 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/octonote/id1433164731/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **10** |
| Positive reviews | 20.0% of reviews | **60.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 13 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 131 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Timerot](https://appshunter.io/developer/425367129) | [Base11 Studios Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1082229198) |

## What reviewers say

### FOSDEM

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fosdem-org/id941904933)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### OctoNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/octonote/id1433164731)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Premium (Yearly) | $11.99 | per year |
| OctoNote Premium - Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*