Comparison

Simple 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

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

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

Simple Notes.4 screens
Plain Note4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Simple Notes. at none against Plain Note's 3. Simple Notes. also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 63%) and iOS requirement (15 vs 26.0). Plain Note's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (1.1K vs 65). On price, rating, 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. Plain Note sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Simple Notes. asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Simple Notes. against 4.6 for Plain Note. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plain Note has 1.1K ratings behind it against 65, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Simple Notes.'s written reviews are positive against 63% of Plain Note's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple Notes. ships an update every 2 months, Plain Note every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Simple Notes. versus Plain Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple Notes.Plain Note
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (65 ratings) — better4.6 (1.1K ratings)
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews — better62.6% of reviews
Number of ratings651.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYuto IwakamiMonelyze Inc.

Customer experience

Simple Notes.

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

Plain Note

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

Bugs and requests

Simple Notes.

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

None

Simple Notes.

No in-app purchases

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 Simple Notes. free?
Simple Notes. is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Plain Note free?
Plain Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Simple Notes. or Plain Note?
Simple Notes. is rated higher. Simple Notes. averages 4.7 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while Plain Note averages 4.6 from 1.1K ratings.
Do Simple Notes. or Plain Note have ads?
Neither Simple Notes. nor Plain Note shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Simple Notes. or Plain Note?
Simple Notes. ships an update every 2 months, and Plain Note every 9 days. Most recently, Simple Notes. was updated on November 2, 2026 and Plain Note on November 3, 2026.

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