Lock Notes vs Plain Note
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Lock Notes
Securely store and protect your private notes with a passcode or Touch ID. Keep sensitive information like passwords, secrets, and diary entries safe from unauthorized access. Backup and sync notes across devices, customize their appearance, and even add images.
- Passcode and Touch ID protection
- Security question recovery
- iCloud backup and sync
- Customizable font style and size
- Insert images into notes
- Print and share notes
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FINALLY AN APP FOR ALL YOUR PRIVATE NOTES! Keep your most valuable, private, and secret notes away from prying eyes. Keep them all totally secret and safe. Store passwords, secrets, contacts or just keep your diary private. KEY FEATURES: • Use Touch ID or passcode to safely lock access to your private notes. • Set a security question and answer in case you forget your passcode. • Safely Backup your valuable notes to iCloud. • Quickly Sync notes between iPhone & iPad with iCloud. • Sort notes list by name, date or manual. • Select notes font style and size. • Insert images & photos into notes. • Print your notes. • Send notes via text message or email. • Save notes to Camera Roll. • Support for Emoji Emoticons. This app allows you to automatically backup your notes for $9.99 a year through an auto-renewing subscription. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period You will not be able to cancel a subscription during the active period. You can manage your subscriptions in the Account Settings after purchase. Terms of use: http://www.katans.com/terms-of-use Privacy policy: http://www.katans.com/privacy-policy This app can be freely used up to two notes. A SINGLE PURCHASE COVERS ALL YOUR IPHONE AND IPAD DEVICES.
Plain Note
A straightforward, text-only notepad for quickly capturing thoughts, memos, and drafts. Organize notes with customizable tags and access them easily via home and lock screen widgets. Offers optional iCloud sync and extensive customization through in-app purchases.
- Text-only note-taking
- Customizable tags with icons
- Lock screen and home screen widgets
- Character and line count
- Note archiving and organization
- Theme, icon, and font customization
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Plain Note is a simple, text-only notes app that makes it easy to capture ideas, jot down everyday notes, and draft social media posts and emails. No ads. No sign-up required. Notes are stored on your device and, if you use iCloud sync, in your own iCloud account as well. The developer does not collect the contents of your notes. It's a good fit for people who want to jot things down and quickly refer back to them, rather than use a notes app with lots of features. You can organize your notes by adding tags, and it supports lock screen and home screen widgets. It can be used on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Features • You can categorize your notes with tags. • Customize tag icons and colors. • You can count the number of characters and lines. • Archive and organize your notes. • Widgets can be added to the lock screen and home screen. • Customize themes, app icons, and fonts. (Some features are available for a fee.) Premium (in-app purchase) • Sync data across iPhone, iPad, and Mac via iCloud. • All themes and app icons are available. • All tag icons are available. • All font customizations are available. *Prices may vary by country or region. Please check in the app. *Some features may not be available in all languages or regions. Terms of Use: https://monelyze.app/en/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://monelyze.app/en/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Plain Note at free with in-app purchases against Lock Notes's subscription. Lock Notes's advantage is review sentiment (73% vs 63%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Lock Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year and Plain Note sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Lock Notes against 4.6 for Plain Note. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.2K and 1.1K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 73% of Lock Notes's written reviews are positive against 63% of Plain Note's.
Lock Notes ships an update every 10 days, Plain Note every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Lock Notes | Plain Note |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (1.2K ratings) | 4.6 (1.1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 73.3% of reviews — better | 62.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.2K — better | 1.1K |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 31 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | JulyApps Ltd | Monelyze Inc. |
Customer experience
Lock Notes
Plain Note
User reviews
Lock Notes
From 1.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🔒 Secure notes
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient
- 🔑 Passcode/biometric protection
- 💾 Cloud backup
Room to improve
- 🔒 Limited free notes
- 💰 Paywall for advanced features
- 🐛 Crashes and data loss issues
- 🔍 Lack of search functionality
- 📁 No folder organization
Plain Note
From 1.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and clean design
- 💡 One-time payment model
- 🚀 Beautifully designed notes app
- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Customizable tags and icons
Room to improve
- 🐛 Notes sometimes don't save properly
- 🐛 Slow and unreliable synchronization
- ❌ No text formatting options (bold, italics, etc.)
- ❌ No ability to insert photos or videos
- ❌ No option to export notes
Bugs and requests
Lock Notes
Reported bugs
3 issues- Notes disappearing after updates
- Inability to access notes after device reset
- Sync issues between devices
Requested features
5 requests- Advanced formatting options
- Ability to change passcode
- Improved search capabilities
- Folder/organization system
- Better backup and restore options
Plain Note
Reported bugs
2 issues- Notes sometimes get deleted after updates
- Widget not working as expected, showing wrong note
Requested features
7 requests- Ability to swipe widget to display another note
- Subfolders for better organization
- Export function to backup notes
- Option to change app colors
- Support for multiple notes in one widget
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- Text formatting options (bold, italics, headings)
- Ability to insert photos and videos
In-app purchases
Lock Notes
- Auto Backup$14.991 Year
- Unlimited Notes$4.99
- Lock Notes Pro$9.99
Plain Note
- Premium - Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Premium - Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Premium - Lifetime$29.99
Questions
Is Lock Notes free?
Is Plain Note free?
Which has better reviews, Lock Notes or Plain Note?
Do Lock Notes or Plain Note have ads?
Which is updated more often, Lock Notes or Plain Note?
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