Comparison

Notepad vs Handwritten Notes | Handy note

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Notepad

This app provides a straightforward way to jot down thoughts, create lists, and save temporary information. It offers features like search, dark mode, and customizable widgets for quick access to your notes. Data is stored locally for enhanced privacy.

Highlights
  • Search functionality
  • Dark mode
  • Lock screen widget
  • Home screen widget
  • Automatic note saving
  • Word count
  • Customizable note colors
Features
Read full description

Free! Easy to use and simple notepad app! ■ Features - Search - Dark mode - Lock screen widget with 4 font sizes - Home screen widget with 3 different sizes - Automatic note saving with the auto-save feature - Word count - Choose from 6 different colors to brighten up your notes (swipe right on the note) - Reorder your notes (press and hold the note to move it) ■ Usage - Easily enter your thoughts in the notepad - Make a shopping list - Make a To Do list - Temporarily save copy/paste items here - Draft reports, minutes, collections, and stories ■ FAQ ** How do I delete notes? Swipe left on the note to bring up the [Delete] button. Or tap the [Edit] button, then tap the red symbol to bring up the [Delete] button. ** How do I sort notes? Tap and hold the note you want to move, and then drag it up or down. Or tap the [Edit] button, then pinch the tab on the right of the note to move it. ** How do I add a note to my Lock Screen? (How do I set up a Lock Screen widget?) Please make sure your device is running the latest iOS version. Once you have updated, touch and hold the center of the Lock Screen until the [Customize] button appears at the bottom of the screen, then tap [Customize]. Select [Lock Screen], tap [Add Widgets], select this app, and then select the widget you want to use. If the name of this app is not displayed, restart your device to display it. ** How do I add a note to my Home Screen? (How do I set up a widget?) Tap and hold an empty area on your Home Screen, then tap the [+] button in the top-left corner. Select the [Notepad] widget in this app, select from three widget sizes, and then tap the [Add] button. You can add as many widgets as you like! To select a note to be displayed in the widget, tap and hold the widget on the Home Screen, then select the note you want to display from [Edit Widget] - [Notes]. ** How do I change the color of my notes? Change the color of your notes by swiping right. ** How do I display notes in the widget? Swipe right on your iPhone's Home Screen to display the widget screen. Press the [Edit] button at the bottom of the widget screen, then press the [+] symbol to allow the Notepad app to be displayed in the widget. ** What about data security? This app never collects or sends any text entered by the user to servers or any external sources outside the app. The only communication this app performs is related to advertising information. This app has been operating for over 10 years through advertising revenue and in-app purchases. All data entered by users is stored only within the app, so you can use it with confidence. 【Terms of Service】 https://komorebi-studio.com/tos_en.html 【Privacy Policy】 https://komorebi-studio.com/policyredirect.html

About

Handwritten Notes | Handy note

Features
Read full description

A simple and easy to use handwriting notepad app. The contents of your notes are automatically saved in the app, and can also be shared and saved as images. Please feel free to use it to write down the minutes of meetings, draft illustrations, etc. ● Basic functions 1. Handwritten notepad function You can create as many memos as you like, and the following functions are available. ・Setting the pen color. ・Change the thickness of the line. ・Eraser function ・Save and share memos. 2. Category function You can manage your memos by category. ● How to move a memo to another category Tap and hold the memo to display the menu, and then tap “Move to a category". When the category setting screen opens, select the category you want to move to. ●Auto save When the back button is pressed from the memo screen, the contents of the memo will be automatically saved. You can also save it manually by clicking the button at the bottom left of the screen. If you do not need the auto save function, you can turn it off in the settings screen.

Screenshots

Notepad4 screens
Handwritten Notes | Handy note4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Handwritten Notes | Handy note at every 2 weeks against Notepad's every 2 months. Handwritten Notes | Handy note also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Notepad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Handwritten Notes | Handy note sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notepad ships an update every 2 months, Handwritten Notes | Handy note every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Notepad versus Handwritten Notes | Handy note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotepadHandwritten Notes | Handy note
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (6.4K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews80.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings6.4K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKomorebi Inc.NAOYA ONO

Bugs and requests

Notepad

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Notes sometimes disappear after updating
  • Auto-correct can be overly aggressive

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add ability to print notes
  • Implement photo/media attachment
  • Introduce different font styles and colors
  • Provide cloud sync and backup functionality

Handwritten Notes | Handy note

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Notepad

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$7.99
2 purchases

Handwritten Notes | Handy note

One-time2
  • Support Developer$0.99
  • Remove ads$5.99

Questions

Is Notepad free?
Notepad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Handwritten Notes | Handy note free?
Handwritten Notes | Handy note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Notepad or Handwritten Notes | Handy note have ads?
Both Notepad and Handwritten Notes | Handy note show ads.
Which is updated more often, Notepad or Handwritten Notes | Handy note?
Notepad ships an update every 2 months, and Handwritten Notes | Handy note every 2 weeks. Most recently, Notepad was updated on October 1, 2026 and Handwritten Notes | Handy note on September 30, 2026.

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