Comparison

Lock Notes vs Plain Note

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Lock Notes4 screens
Plain Note4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Lock Notes versus Plain Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLock NotesPlain Note
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1.2K ratings)4.6 (1.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.3% of reviews — better62.6% of reviews
Number of ratings1.2K — better1.1K
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJulyApps LtdMonelyze Inc.

Customer experience

Lock Notes

All ratings1,149 ratings
Positive89.6%
Neutral1.4%
Negative9.0%
Written reviews834 reviews
Positive73.3%
Neutral6.1%
Negative20.6%

Plain Note

All ratings1,090 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral3.7%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews107 reviews
Positive62.6%
Neutral14.0%
Negative23.4%

User reviews

Lock Notes

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What 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 ratings

What 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
Show 2 more
  • Text formatting options (bold, italics, headings)
  • Ability to insert photos and videos

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Lock Notes

Subscriptions1
  • Auto Backup$14.991 Year
One-time2
  • Unlimited Notes$4.99
  • Lock Notes Pro$9.99
3 purchases

Plain Note

Subscriptions2
  • Premium - Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Premium - Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium - Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Lock Notes free?
Lock Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Plain Note free?
Plain Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Lock Notes or Plain Note?
Plain Note is rated higher. Lock Notes averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Plain Note averages 4.6 from 1.1K ratings.
Do Lock Notes or Plain Note have ads?
Neither Lock Notes nor Plain Note shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lock Notes or Plain Note?
Lock Notes ships an update every 10 days, and Plain Note every 9 days. Most recently, Lock Notes was updated on October 22, 2026 and Plain Note on October 30, 2026.

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