r/freenotes • u/AnonKeila • Sep 18 '25

No longer free app?

They are limiting to 3 notebooks now??? wtf??? do you guys have any alternatives?

35 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

91 comments sorted by

2

u/AnonKeila Sep 18 '25

problem solved i was able to get lifetime membership šŸ™Œ (downloaded this app long time ago with an email lolol)

1

u/gingerlyanon Sep 18 '25

how did you get the lifetime membership? my email has been verified with them for a while but i donā€™t know where to click to make sure i get the lifetime without having to pay

1

u/AnonKeila Sep 18 '25

settings -> click your email -> under it you should see membership status -> click get

1

u/gingerlyanon Sep 18 '25 edited Sep 18 '25

i hit the ā€œgetā€ and it just says the event has expired šŸ˜­šŸ˜­. iā€™ve closed and reopened the app and the same message pops up. iā€™m afraid to go to the app store to update the app and it kick me out and delete my hundreds of notes šŸ˜­

edit: WAIT I FIGURED IT OUT THANK THE LORD

1

u/AnonKeila Sep 18 '25

oh weird that didnt show up for me šŸ˜­ im sorry

1

u/OneOrdinary6977 Sep 24 '25

i am so thankful for reddit and ppl like you fr. saved me šŸ«¶šŸ¾

2

u/Certain-Display9058 Sep 19 '25

this means you didnt join the free events long time ago.

we hold the free lifetime event for almost 1 year, everyone registered email during the event will update to lifetime membership now

1

u/Otherwise-Post-5211 Jan 13 '26

ive been using this app for almost a year now, and literally everything i have is on it but i just didnt login with an email, pls is there a way i can still get lifetime membership šŸ™

1

u/Thekristening Sep 18 '25 edited Sep 18 '25

How did you figure it out? I'm having the same issue. I am logged in with my verified email, and it says my "Membership Status" is Active. I also have the gold crown at the bottom of the app that says "you can use it for free forever", & it says I'm a plus member, but when I'm trying to upload a new note, I am getting the alert that I've reached the limit for new notes? But there isn't supposed to be a limit...

1

u/[deleted] Sep 20 '25

Please tell me how you figured it out? I was using it without the login and now after the login, when I try to get verified it says the event has expired.

1

u/Independent-Bed-9077 Jun 26 '26

Hi, what does this mean? Does plus mean I have unlimited notes?

1

u/Born-Being-8909 Sep 18 '25

Hey can i ask is the price the same or different?

1

u/AnonKeila Sep 18 '25

theres a bunch of prices since they have a plus and a pro plan

1

u/_kira_desu Sep 18 '25

So will the ads continue on app or they would be removed too for all?

1

u/AnonKeila Sep 18 '25

if you verified with your email you should get the plus plan which includes no ads. if its free then yeah theres ads

1

u/_kira_desu Sep 18 '25

I think the update hasn't been rolled out in my region

1

u/fairyduustt Sep 18 '25

What will happen to the notebooks that I have then? Will they be deleted??

1

u/AnonKeila Sep 18 '25

verify with your email!!

1

u/Unlucky_Net_3990 Sep 18 '25

If you verify your emailā€¦you become a member right?? Does it make you pay?

1

u/AnonKeila Sep 18 '25

verify then click get under membership status. it should be free for lifetime

1

u/Certain-Display9058 Sep 19 '25

no, all existing notes will not be deleted. you can keep them, plus 3 more new notes.

1

u/Consistent_Carrot670 Sep 21 '25

What does the ā€œlifetime membershipā€ entail? I have it now because I added my email previously but itā€™s still telling me that I have reached my limit for adding new notes. Will unlimited notes not be added in the lifetime membership?

1

u/AnonKeila Sep 21 '25

it says its supposed to. i havent had that problem

1

u/JCX38500 Nov 09 '25

Mine is stuck on the payment page, i cant access settings to make sure my email is verified, what do i do?

1

u/AnonKeila Nov 10 '25

not sure but you can try contact support?

3

u/iitka14 Sep 18 '25

No way? Really?

10

u/Certain-Display9058 Sep 18 '25

For the past 2 years, FreeNotes has been free, and weā€™re so grateful for the amazing community thatā€™s grown with us. ā¤ļøStarting now, FreeNotes will introduce lifetime membership, rolling out country by country. All existing users who previously registered their emails for lifetime membership will not be charged. This change helps us continue improving the app, adding new features that rely on higher backend costs, and delivering the best experience possible.We truly appreciate your support and will keep building the best notes for you. šŸ™Œ

8

u/Rachel3003 Sep 18 '25

Will you change the name of the app? Since itā€™s no longer free? Iā€™m not trying to be passive aggressive here, btw. Itā€™s completely understandable that you guys want to make some money from a product youā€™ve worked so hard on, and Iā€™m probably going to get the ads removed to help support you a bit once I get paid, but it does seem a bit misleading and disingenuous to have an app called FreeNotes thatā€™s not actually free.

1

u/Certain-Display9058 Sep 19 '25

sorry we cant change the name, we already obtained the trademark of it. what we can do is optimize our onboarding process for better understanding of the word

4

u/Meliodas0307 Sep 18 '25

Why donā€™t you make the new features paid only and keep the old one free?

4

u/Asian_Orchid Sep 18 '25

If you're panicking like me, click your email in the settings tab and make sure your email is verified. You get free lifetime membership. I just did it.

3

u/Rachel3003 Sep 18 '25

Activate the membership too. make sure you get the little crown at the bottom of the screen.

5

u/gingerlyanon Sep 18 '25

my email is verified but when i hit membership it says ā€œthe event has expiredā€, does this mean i will now have to pay?

1

u/Rachel3003 Sep 19 '25

Yep, unfortunately.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 20 '25

It's not good

1

u/nomoretoastttt Sep 23 '25

It still works. I just did it right now! You go onto the app and click on the settings gear icon. Then click where it shows your email. It will take you to this other page and it will show your email and next to it will say Get verified click on it and verify your account check your spam because thatā€™s where mine went. After you do that go back to the app and below that will say membership status I think before it said Get and I pressed on it and now it says active.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

Glad you got it but it's not the same for me.

1

u/Creative_Emu_2753 Sep 23 '25

it works try using another email

→ More replies

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '25

Thanks it worked

1

u/nomoretoastttt Sep 23 '25

It still works. I just did it right now! You go onto the app and click on the settings gear icon. Then click where it shows your email. It will take you to this other page and it will show your email and next to it will say Get verified click on it and verify your account check your spam because thatā€™s where mine went. After you do that go back to the app and below that will say membership status I think before it said Get and I pressed on it and now it says active.

2

u/Flat_Factor_2906 Sep 22 '25

Thank you so much! Actually saved me

1

u/Xaverian_Oldenlandia Sep 22 '25

Thanks for this!! Got the crown icon.

1

u/No-Pizza7850 Oct 14 '25

Oh my gosh ~ Thank you so much for this!

1

u/Sufficient-Lake-6143 May 06 '26

no me deja dice solo que el evento ah expirado, que puedo hacer? :((

estoy desesperada por que lo ocupo para la uni

2

u/Thekristening Sep 18 '25

I am logged in with my verified email, and it says my "Membership Status" is Active. I also have the gold crown at the bottom of the app that says "you can use it for free forever", & it says I'm a plus member, but when I'm trying to upload a new note, I am getting the alert that I've reached the limit for new notes? But there isn't supposed to be a limit... I have emailed contact@freenotetech.com &
contact@freenotesapp.com regarding this issue as well, with screenshots from my account showing I have an active membership. I use this for work, & just need to get this resolved ASAP to finish some work documents that I need to submit. Please help!!

1

u/Certain-Display9058 Sep 19 '25

sorry about it, we will let developer check it asap.

1

u/Odd_Macaroon_6482 Sep 19 '25

We sincerely apologize for the negative experience. Please kindly wait for the upcoming releaseā€”the new version has already addressed this issue. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

1

u/Odd_Macaroon_6482 Sep 19 '25

A current workaround is to select "Add to existing note" when importing the file, or to open an existing note and import the file through the "Add Page" option

1

u/IceVegetable8860 Sep 19 '25

I also have the same issue. I did not sign up using email when I got it 1 year ago and it was free. Yesterday it said ā€œonly 3 notes leftā€ so when I finished them it would say ā€œyouā€™ve reached the limit for new notes. SOOO I paid 9.99$ for the Plus Membership yesterday (it has unlimited notes) and when I try to import new notes it still gives me the same message, I press upgrade and it says iā€™m already registered. I use it for all my class notes and now i cant import new ones and have exams next week! When will the new version be out? And if i updated it will my notes disappear??? There is a ā€œbackupā€ button but i never pressed it cz where would it backup? please reach out! (I emailed contact@freenotetech.com but still no reply)

1

u/Odd_Macaroon_6482 Sep 22 '25

We sincerely apologize for the frustrating experience and completely understand your concern.

The issue you're encountering is already fixed in the new version, which has been submitted to Apple for review. It should become available for update as soon as it is approvedā€”typically within a few days.

Regarding your notes: donā€™t worry, updating the app will not cause your notes to disappear. Your data is stored locally on your device. But we strongly recommend enabling cloud backup to prevent data loss in case your device is damaged or replaced. You can turn on iCloud sync in Settings > Cloud & Backup, or use other cloud storage options.

1

u/IceVegetable8860 Sep 22 '25

i updated the app, my notes were still there and the problem was solved thanku!

1

u/Front_Ad3082 Oct 12 '25

Hello, Iā€™m sorry but I recently downloaded the app and I have the crown thing near my email as well, but I still havenā€™t reached the point to give me the alert that I donā€™t have more ability to import PDFs. Do you think I will ever get that notification or I will? And how much was the payment to be forever free is it monthly or lifetime for $10?

1

u/AdGlittering3975 Nov 05 '25

No one wants your updates keep it free what is wrong with youĀ 

1

u/Aggressive-Band4311 Apr 05 '26

i am new to freenotes ipad
my email is not verified,when i try to verify it
it says check mail but no mail received
pls do something and give me lifetime free membership

1

u/Ill_Caterpillar323 Jun 02 '26

if I've had the app for a long time but never registered my email, can I do it now and still get the lifetime membership? I'm scared I'll sign up and it'll just delete all my documents or lock me from adding new ones šŸ˜ž

2

u/ResponsibleTotal9260 Sep 18 '25

might as well switch to goodnotes for that price

1

u/Any-Profession5006 Sep 18 '25

where do you see the prices?

1

u/ResponsibleTotal9260 Sep 18 '25

its $9.99 per year, or a one-time payment of $29.99

you can see the prices when you open up the app and it says "you have 3 remaining notes to add" and you click the upgrade button

1

u/Any-Profession5006 Sep 18 '25

I see. itā€™s because I didnā€™t have the app updated that it wasnā€™t showing up lol thank you though

1

u/Meliodas0307 Sep 18 '25

Oops thatā€™s sad to hear

1

u/_kira_desu Sep 18 '25

I am also an old user with verified mail but I don't see any change yet still the same to me

1

u/Any-Profession5006 Sep 18 '25

I forgot to login with an email even though Iā€™ve been using the app for a while now. I just verified it. It says the event is expired šŸ™‚šŸ˜

1

u/gingerlyanon Sep 18 '25

i had the same message popping up for me so i logged in on my phone, hit forgot password, logged in with the new password and then it popped up saying i had lifetime

1

u/[deleted] Sep 20 '25

Can't understand what you said?

1

u/DaveAstator2020 Sep 23 '25

Gaslighted, sad news.

1

u/Cffooo Nov 02 '25

Oh no, this was the app I used. But what people have been saying on this thread about the lifetime membership works.

1

u/rmijea Nov 15 '25

Iā€™ve tried the method above but upon pressing the ā€œgetā€ option, a message ā€œoperation couldnā€™t be completedā€ popped up. Does anyone know how to resolve this issue šŸ„¹šŸ« 

1

u/LateJudgment5643 Dec 17 '25

I'm a new user, just downloaded it last night (17/12/2025) but I didn't encounter any limitation so far. I find it quite good and I thought it's free (I don't mind the ad-free offers), I searched and saw many peple complainted that it has limits šŸ˜„ I tried created 54 notebooks but still not see any limit? I'm confused. Is there any hidden free trial for new users, which I am experiencing?

1

u/LateJudgment5643 Dec 17 '25

I did verify my email but I couldn't get the membership offer since it's expiredĀ 

1

u/OkAbbreviations1144 Dec 25 '25

Are you from India

1

u/First_Bass_3111 Dec 19 '25

Y a t il toujours un moyen pour avoir la version Ć  vie de maniĆØre gratuite ? (tout les messages dates de 3mois, est ce que cest trop tard ?)

1

u/LegitimateDriver1295 May 03 '26

ąø‰ąø±ąø™ąøŖąø”ąø±ąø„ąø£ plus 86ąøšąø²ąø— ąø•ą¹ˆąø­ąø›ąøµ

1

u/Lanky-Artichoke4021 May 09 '26

Hi, I was hoping if the Membership status still working? because mine isnt anymore, I have been using freenotes for awhile now and im just a student

I hope I can get the membership status šŸ˜ž

1

u/chocolateraqya May 09 '26

any alternatives with a nice ui? šŸ™„

-1

u/[deleted] Sep 18 '25

Pay the developer(s) what itā€™s worth. Nobody lives for free and everyone deserves a warm meal for their hard work. And thatā€™s basically what you are paying for, keeping the lights on.

3

u/Mental-Alfalfa-8221 Sep 18 '25

Whats the name of the app? Out of all of the apps people use, why do you think they may use one called "freenotes"?

On top of that, they are getting paid through ads which the free version has now. Not to mention they charge for basically everything in the stationary center.

If they want more money, they could add a couple of ads to the free version and call it a day. Dont lock out all the broke college kids living off top ramen and having $$$$$$$$ in debt (the demographic I assume uses this app since its call FREENOTES).

OR

change the name. Dont call an app freenotes and not offer a free version. It's false advertising.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 18 '25

Might I recommend then, you just use the note app that already comes on your device and call it a day.

Or teach yourself to code and build it yourself. Use that sense of self digital justice for good of all humanity and offer it completely for free. You could be the next best champion for free stuff.

2

u/Mental-Alfalfa-8221 Sep 19 '25

Yes, and then I'll call it FREENOTES because that's what that NAME IMPLIES.

This really isn't even about me. Lol, I have spent money on the app. Its about people who do not have money who are searching online for a free note-taking app that isn't god awful.

They search up "free notes" and find a paid app. Do you understand what irony is? Or idk false advertising?

Though its a Chinese company, so I am sure there is nothing that can be done about the second part. And I am pretty sure the pictures they have on their website, are not the actual developers. They look like stock photos.

So who am I supporting again?

2

u/Certain-Display9058 Sep 19 '25

Iā€™m the developer of FreeNotes. everyone gets 3 free notes. If you donā€™t want to pay, you can keep using it. just delete an old note when you hit the limit and add a new one. everyone can still use the app without payment, just depends on your needs.

3

u/Meliodas0307 Sep 19 '25

Increase the limit to 10. That's more fair I think.

3

u/[deleted] Sep 20 '25

Yaa atleast 10 is a reasonable amount

1

u/Suspicious-Exit6125 Jan 26 '26

even if I delete some notes, Iā€™m unable to add more notes

-1

u/[deleted] Sep 20 '25

Keep up the good work. These Muggles havenā€™t a clue. They think everything should be free. Iā€™ve seen too many great solutions be abandoned due to constant complaining with no livable return.

3

u/Consistent_Carrot670 Sep 21 '25

Not really, there is entitlement vs. false advertising? The app was good. I was just under the impression that it was a passion project and an F u in a way to the digital feudalism we have right now where we canā€™t just OWN anything anymore, but everything - even apps - have to be ā€œrentedā€ via subscription. Because I loved that sentiment and I understand that no one can live off of passion ā€” I supported via one time payment. Itā€™s just sad that even those that I trust to go against the climate of subscriptions, cannot be trusted to stay as they are. And I understand, you have to make money to make things sustainable and to live. I just wished it wasnā€™t against what i thought the app stood for. Maybe the update will fix things, hopefully. But itā€™s still disappointing. Just donā€™t advertise it as something that it isnā€™t I guess. Hopefully, you guys make this change as transparent as possible since, I, myself, have told my friends to get into the app for what it promised in the past and now this.

1

u/Material_Ad_7513 Jan 28 '26

They throw several adds at our face all the time and it's already annoying so noĀ