Comparison

Simple Notes. vs NoteBuddy

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

Head to head
About

Simple Notes.

This app offers a straightforward way to create, manage, and share text-based notes. It focuses on essential features like character counting and sorting, with seamless integration for sharing via messaging apps.

Highlights
  • Create text notes
  • Character count display
  • Sort notes
  • Widget support
  • Instant sharing via Messages
  • Automatic saving
Features
Read full description

Simple Notes. is exactly what it sounds like: a simple app for taking notes. It focuses on everyday essentials. No grids, camera, or audio—just text, with easy ways to organize and share it. Write a note and it saves automatically as you type. The first line becomes its title. Search your notes, star favorites, sort by favorites, date, or title, and tap the counter to switch between character and word counts. Keep notes close with widgets. Show a note you choose or browse a list of recent notes. Tap a note in a widget to open it in the app. FEATURES - Create and automatically save text notes - Count characters or words - Search, star, and sort notes - View a selected note or recent notes with widgets - Share notes as text or as a .txt file - Add a note to a Messages conversation, with the option to include its title - Create or retrieve notes with Shortcuts app - Create note or search using Siri HOW TO USE Create a note: Tap “Create New Note” and start typing. Your changes save automatically. Delete a note: Swipe left on it and tap Delete. Sort notes: Tap the menu button and choose Favorites, Date, or Title. Share in Messages: Open Simple Notes. from the Messages app drawer, choose a conversation and a note, then tap Send. Use the switch at the top to include or leave out the title. Have a suggestion? Please leave a review on the App Store or send feedback through the app.

About

NoteBuddy

This note-taking application offers a comprehensive suite of tools for organizing thoughts and ideas. It supports rich text formatting, image insertion, and freehand drawing. Features like folder organization and iCloud synchronization ensure your notes are accessible and secure.

Highlights
  • Rich text editing
  • Add images and drawings
  • Folder and subfolder support
  • iCloud synchronization
  • Backup feature
  • Apple Pencil support
Features
Read full description

Note taking app with all important features you need: - rich text editing (bold, italic, underline, text alignments, text color, etc.) - add images - add drawings and hand written notes - support for folders and subfolders - iCloud synchronization - backup feature Including Support for: - Dynamic Type - Split Screen - Apple Pencil

Screenshots

Simple Notes.4 screens
NoteBuddy3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Simple Notes. at 79% against NoteBuddy's 22%. Simple Notes. also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). NoteBuddy's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15). On price, update cadence, ads 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. NoteBuddy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Simple Notes. asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Simple Notes. holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 65 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Simple Notes.'s written reviews are positive against 22% of NoteBuddy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple Notes. ships an update every 2 months, NoteBuddy every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Simple Notes. versus NoteBuddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple Notes.NoteBuddy
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (65 ratings) — better3.3 (16 ratings)
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews — better22.2% of reviews
Number of ratings65 — better16
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS1512.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYuto IwakamiOleg Mueller

Customer experience

Simple Notes.

All ratings64 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral4.7%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral14.3%
Negative7.1%

NoteBuddy

All ratings16 ratings
Positive56.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative43.8%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive22.2%
Neutral0.0%
Negative77.8%

In-app purchases

None

Simple Notes.

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

NoteBuddy

One-time1
  • NoteBuddy Pro$2.99

Questions

Is Simple Notes. free?
Simple Notes. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NoteBuddy free?
NoteBuddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Simple Notes. or NoteBuddy?
Simple Notes. is rated higher. Simple Notes. averages 4.7 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while NoteBuddy averages 3.3 from 16 ratings.
Do Simple Notes. or NoteBuddy have ads?
Neither Simple Notes. nor NoteBuddy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Simple Notes. or NoteBuddy?
Simple Notes. ships an update every 2 months, and NoteBuddy every 3 months. Most recently, Simple Notes. was updated on November 2, 2026 and NoteBuddy on November 15, 2026.

Other comparisons