# Simple Notes. vs Plain Note

The clearest difference is monetization model: Simple Notes. at free against Plain Note's free with in-app purchases. Simple Notes. also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 62%) and iOS requirement (14.1 vs 26.0). Plain Note's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (1.1K vs 47). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Simple Notes. sells 3 one-off in-app purchases 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 — 4.6 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 47, 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 62% of Plain Note's.

Simple Notes. ships an update every 2 months, Plain Note every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on August 28, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Simple Notes. | Plain Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (47 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-notes/id1104759509/reviews) | [4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plain-note-notes-widget/id1478542921/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 47 | **1.1K** |
| Positive reviews | **78.6% of reviews** | 62.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 3 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.1** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Yuto Iwakami](https://appshunter.io/developer/1584545568) | [Monelyze Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1086641918) |

## What reviewers say

### Simple Notes.

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-notes/id1104759509)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $5.99 | one-time |


### Plain Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plain-note-notes-widget/id1478542921)

This app allows you to create and organize notes with customizable tags and icons. It offers lock screen and home screen widgets for quick access and supports character/line counting. Personalize your experience with themes, app icons, and fonts.

**Highlights:** Organize notes with tags, Customizable tag icons and colors, Character and line counting, Lock screen and home screen widgets, Customizable themes, app icons, and fonts, Archive and organize notes

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium - Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium - Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium - Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and clean design
- 💡 One-time payment model
- 🚀 Beautifully designed notes app
- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Customizable tags and icons

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- Notes sometimes get deleted after updates
- Widget not working as expected, showing wrong note

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Simple Notes. free?

Simple 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, Simple Notes. or Plain Note?

Simple Notes. and Plain Note are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 47 and 1.1K ratings respectively.

### 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 10 days. Most recently, Simple Notes. was updated on August 28, 2026 and Plain Note on September 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*