Anytype
Apple Notes
| Feature | Anytype | Apple Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $10/mo | Free only |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | privacy-enthusiasts, personal-knowledge-management, researchers, digital-gardeners | apple-users, casual-note-takers, students, families |
| Founded | 2019 | 2012 |
| Local First | ✓ | ✗ |
| End To End Encryption | ✓ | ✗ |
| Types And Relations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Graph View | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sets And Collections | ✓ | ✗ |
| Syncing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Rich Text | ✗ | ✓ |
| Scanning | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shared Folders | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tags | ✗ | ✓ |
| Quick Notes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Icloud Sync | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Anytype Pros
- Local-first with end-to-end encryption
- Open-source with peer-to-peer sync
- Powerful type system and relations
- Beautiful, fast native application
✗ Anytype Cons
- Unique paradigm requires learning investment
- Smaller community than Notion/Obsidian
- Collaboration features still maturing
✓ Apple Notes Pros
- Free with Apple devices
- Fast and reliable
- Good scanning
- Shared folders
✗ Apple Notes Cons
- Apple ecosystem only
- Limited organization
- No markdown
The Verdict
Anytype is built for privacy enthusiasts and personal knowledge management, with a focus on local-first and end-to-end-encryption. Apple Notes targets apple users and casual note takers and leads with rich-text and scanning.
Apple Notes uses custom enterprise pricing, while Anytype starts at $10/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Anytype offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Apple Notes takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.