Fossify Notes vs NotallyX
We give Fossify Notes a 2.8 GPA and NotallyX a 3.0, out of 4.0. NotallyX grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAFossify NotesGood | 3.0GPANotallyXVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree from Google Play or F-Droid, with no ads and no in-app purchases listed. Fossify runs on voluntary donations, so the only way to pay is to choose to. | AFree and open source under GPL 3.0. The FAQ says there are no in-app purchases, subscriptions or advertisements. Donations to the developer are optional. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole app is free. There's no paid tier, no account and nothing locked away. What you install is all of it. | AThe whole app is free, from GitHub or the IzzyOnDroid repository. There's no paid tier and no account to create, so there's nothing to run out of. |
| Features | CThin, and on purpose: plain text notes, checklists, a home-screen widget, locks for the app or single notes, export and automatic backups to a file. There's no sync between devices at all, and Fossify still labels the app Beta. | BRich text notes, task lists with subtasks, repeating reminders, pictures, PDFs and audio notes, labels, colours, home-screen widgets and an app lock. Solid basics. But there's no sync, and the README says the developer pulled it from Google Play for a time after several users reported losing notes. |
| Ease of use | BNo account and nothing to set up. Open it, type, and edits save by themselves. It isn't on iPhone, so there's no App Store rating on record to go by, and a B is as high as we go. | BNo App Store rating exists for an Android-only app, so a B is our ceiling. It looks about as simple as a notes app gets. The homework is backups: uninstalling deletes your notes unless you've made one. |
| Platforms and integrations | DAndroid only. Fossify builds its apps for Android and offers no iOS, desktop or web version. With no cloud service either, a note only leaves the phone when you share it, export it or back up the device. | DAndroid only, on Android 5.0 and above. No iPhone, desktop or web version, and the listing shows no integrations. The nearest thing to sync is pointing the backup folder at cloud or WebDAV storage that another app mounts. |
| Best for | Android notes that never go online | simple notes and checklists on Android, no account |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Fossify Notes and NotallyX. How we grade
Where they differ
- Fossify Notes is free. NotallyX is free.
In commonFree planAndroidOpen sourceLocal-firstNotesTasks
At a glance
| Fossify Notes | NotallyX | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | The whole app is free to install from Google Play or F-Droid, with no ads and no in-app purchases listed. Fossify is funded by voluntary donations. | The whole app is free and open source under GPL 3.0. The FAQ says there are no in-app purchases, subscriptions or advertisements. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Android | ||
| Made by | Fossify | Crustack |
| Price read from | play.google.com | crustack.github.io |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Fossify Notes
- Android users who want a notes app that never goes online
- Quick notes, shopping lists and checklists on the home screen
- People replacing stock phone apps with open-source ones
NotallyX
- Android users who want a simple notes app with no ads or account
- Checklists with subtasks and reminders
- People moving notes over from Google Keep, Evernote or Quillpad
Worth knowing
Fossify Notes
- Android only: Fossify builds its apps for Android and offers no iOS, desktop or web version.
- Fossify labels the app Beta, meaning it is published while active testing and development are still under way.
- There is no account or cloud service, so notes do not sync between devices; moving them means exporting or a device backup.
- Google Play and F-Droid publish releases on their own schedules, so the version on offer can differ between the two.
NotallyX
- Android only, for devices running Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and above.
- The README says the developer temporarily removed the app from Google Play after several users reported losing notes, and urges daily automatic backups.
- There is no built-in sync. The docs suggest pointing the backup folder at cloud or WebDAV storage mounted by a third-party app.
- Uninstalling the app deletes its notes unless a backup has been made first.
Key features
Fossify Notes
- Text notes and checklists
- Write plain notes, shopping lists and checklists as separate, independent notes. Edits are saved automatically, and checked items can be moved to the bottom of a list.
- Home-screen widgets
- A customizable widget keeps a note or a to-do list visible on the Android home screen and opens it with a tap.
- App and note locking
- The app as a whole or individual notes can be protected, with fingerprint access used when biometric protection is selected.
- Import, export and automatic backups
- Notes can be imported from and exported to files, and optional automatic backups create backup files on the device without manual steps.
- No Internet permission
- The app does not request Android's Internet permission. Notes leave the device only when shared, exported or included in an Android device backup.
- Color and font customization
- Colors and display settings can be changed to taste, and version 1.7.0 added support for custom fonts.
NotallyX
- Rich text notes
- Text notes support bold, italic, monospace and strikethrough formatting, clickable links for web addresses, phone numbers and email addresses, and undo and redo.
- Task lists with subtasks
- List notes have checkboxes and subtasks. Checked items are sorted to the bottom automatically, which can be switched off in the settings.
- Reminders
- A note can carry a reminder for a chosen date and time, optionally repeating at a set interval, and raises a notification when it comes due.
- Attachments and audio notes
- Pictures, PDFs and other files can be added to a note, and quick audio recordings can be made inside the app.
- Labels, colors and pinning
- Notes can be labeled, colored and pinned to the top, sorted by title, creation date or last modified date, and shown as a list or a grid.
- App lock and automatic backups
- The app can be locked with the device's biometric or PIN. Backups go to a chosen folder on exit from a note or periodically, and can be password-protected.
Plans
Fossify Notes
Fossify Notes$0
The full app from Google Play or F-Droid, under the GNU GPL v3.0. Both stores use the same package name and signing key.
NotallyX
NotallyX$0
The full app, downloadable from the GitHub releases page or the IzzyOnDroid repository. Donations to the developer are optional.
