Comparison

Simple Notes. vs PhotoNote

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

PhotoNote

Capture information visually by taking photos instead of typing. Organize your visual notes with tabs and colored tags. Photos are stored within the app, preventing clutter in your device's photo gallery.

Highlights
  • Capture notes via camera
  • Organize with tabs
  • Categorize with colored tags
  • Internal photo storage
  • Reorder notes and tags
Features
Read full description

Instead of typing letters on the keyboard, I'm sure there are times when I take a picture and use it as a note instead. However, there is a risk that the photo folder will be flooded with notes. It is this application that is useful in such a case. All you have to do is take a picture with the built-in camera. You can organize the notes you have taken with tabs. In addition, the photos you took will be saved in the app, so you won't clutter up your photo folder! Usage examples: - Receipt - Timetable - Cooking Recipes - Deadline for reports written on the blackboard - Organize the screenshot. In addition, you can separate the notes you took with colored tags for each category. Tags can be added, deleted, and reordered from the pre-prepared colors. You can also reorder your notes.

Screenshots

Simple Notes.4 screens
PhotoNote3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Simple Notes. at none against PhotoNote's 1. Simple Notes. also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (65 vs 2). PhotoNote's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (100% vs 79%). On price 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. PhotoNote sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month. Simple Notes. asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PhotoNote holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Notes. has 65 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Simple Notes.'s written reviews are positive against 100% of PhotoNote's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Simple Notes. versus PhotoNote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple Notes.PhotoNote
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (65 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings65 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB56 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYuto IwakamiSatoshi Kobayashi

Customer experience

Simple Notes.

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

PhotoNote

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Simple Notes.

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

PhotoNote

Subscriptions1
  • Pro plan$3.991 Month

Questions

Is Simple Notes. free?
Simple Notes. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PhotoNote free?
PhotoNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Simple Notes. or PhotoNote?
PhotoNote is rated higher. Simple Notes. averages 4.7 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while PhotoNote averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Simple Notes. or PhotoNote have ads?
PhotoNote shows ads; Simple Notes. does not.
Which is updated more often, Simple Notes. or PhotoNote?
Simple Notes. ships an update every 2 months, and PhotoNote every 3 weeks. Most recently, Simple Notes. was updated on November 2, 2026 and PhotoNote on November 3, 2026.

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