NoteRescue vs iBoysoft Data Recovery for getting Apple Notes back on a Mac
By Kayabyte · Last updated 4 November 2026
Short answer: iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac is a general tool for recovering deleted files from drives. Apple Notes are records inside a database, not separate files, so a file recovery scan is not the natural tool for one lost note. iBoysoft’s own Notes guides list the Recently Deleted folder, iCloud and Time Machine first. NoteRescue reads Time Machine and iPhone backups and shows which notes are missing or changed. We make NoteRescue, so check everything about iBoysoft on its own pages, read on 4 November 2026.
What each is built for
| iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac | NoteRescue | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Recovering deleted files from Macs, external drives, USB drives and SD cards | Finding lost items in Time Machine and iPhone backups: Notes, Contacts, Safari, Calendar, Reminders, Voice Memos |
| Needs a backup | No (it scans the drive) | Yes: nothing comes back if it was never in a backup |
| One note, without touching the others | Its own guides describe file-level steps; see below | Yes: a note is added to a new folder in Notes, or exported |
| Price | See iBoysoft’s store | Free scan; from USD 14.99 per app, or USD 39.99 for all apps, one time |
Do this first, for free
- Open Notes, then the Recently Deleted folder. Notes stay there for up to 30 days.
- If Notes syncs with iCloud, icloud.com offers Restore Files for items deleted in the last 30 days.
- If you use Time Machine, a backup made before the deletion contains the note. Restoring the whole Notes folder by hand also rolls back today’s notes, which is the risk NoteRescue is built to avoid.
What we could and could not verify
- iBoysoft (iboysoft.com, checked 4 November 2026): its Notes guides name the Recently Deleted folder, iCloud (within 30 days) and Time Machine as routes, and recommend its own Data Recovery for Mac as another. Two of its articles disagree on whether file-recovery software helps with permanently deleted notes, so we do not claim it cannot, and we did not run it. We did not find a price on the pages we read.
- NoteRescue 2.0.1 needs macOS 15 or later and Full Disk Access. It does not read iCloud-only data.
Questions
Can iBoysoft recover a note I deleted months ago? Its own articles are not consistent on this. If you have a backup that predates the deletion, a backup tool is the safer route.
Does NoteRescue recover anything without a backup? No.
Related guides
iBoysoft is a trademark of its owner. NoteRescue is made by Kayabyte and is not affiliated with or endorsed by iBoysoft.
More guides
- Notes missing or not showing up? Why Apple Notes disappeared and how to get them back
- The best ways to recover deleted Apple Notes on a Mac
- Disk Drill alternative for Apple Notes: what NoteRescue does differently
- How to export all notes from a Mac: Apple Notes to Markdown, PDF or text
- Why does iCloud bring back deleted data after you restore it, and what can you do?
- Why is Recently Deleted empty in Apple Notes?
- How do you read an encrypted iPhone backup on a Mac without restoring the phone?
- How do you recover deleted Calendar events on a Mac?
- How do you recover deleted contacts on a Mac?
- How do you recover deleted Reminders on a Mac or iPhone?
- How do you recover deleted Safari bookmarks on a Mac, iPhone or iPad?
- How do you recover deleted Voice Memos on a Mac?
- How to get notes back from an iPhone backup on a Mac
- How to recover notes from an old Mac’s backup
- How to recover an Apple Note you edited or overwrote
- How do you get a Safari Reading List back?
- How do you recover Voice Memos from an iPhone backup on a Mac?
- How to restore a note from Time Machine
- How do you restore Calendar events from Time Machine?
- How do you restore contacts from Time Machine on a Mac?
- How do you restore only contacts from an iPhone backup on a Mac?
- How do you restore Safari bookmarks from Time Machine?
- Why did my Safari tab groups disappear, and can you get them back?
- What does Time Machine keep for Notes, Contacts, Safari, Calendar, Reminders and Voice Memos?
- Where are Apple Notes stored on a Mac?
- Where are Contacts, Calendar, Reminders, Safari and Voice Memos stored on a Mac?