# Notes vs Plain Note

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Notes at none against Plain Note's 3. Notes also leads on ratings volume (641K vs 1.1K) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). Plain Note's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 9 months) and review sentiment (62% vs 51%). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Plain Note sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notes has 641K ratings behind it against 1.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 51% of Notes's written reviews are positive against 62% of Plain Note's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Notes ships an update every 9 months, Plain Note every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notes | Plain Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (641K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes/id1110145109/reviews)** | [4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plain-note-notes-widget/id1478542921/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **641K** | 1.1K |
| Positive reviews | 51.2% of reviews | **62.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 6 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [Monelyze Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1086641918) |

## What reviewers say

### Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes/id1110145109)

Capture your thoughts, ideas, and important information with a versatile note-taking app. Attach various file types, scan documents, create checklists, and even sketch directly within your notes. Organize with folders, tags, and smart searches, and collaborate with others on shared notes.

**Highlights:** Add attachments (PDFs, images, links), Scan paper documents, Create checklists, Sketch with finger or stylus, Search text in notes and handwriting, Collaborate on shared notes, Quick Note feature

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 📝 Versatile note-taking app
- 🔒 Secure with password/biometric lock
- 🌐 Seamless sync across devices
- 🚀 Quick and responsive
- 📂 Organized with folders and tags

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🔍 Difficulty finding/retrieving notes
- 🔋 High battery drain when using Apple Pencil
- 📝 Limited formatting options (font, color, etc.)
- 🔒 Password reset issues with locked notes

**Reported bugs**

- Notes randomly disappearing or not syncing
- Cursor jumping around when editing text
- Typing lag and performance issues
- Inconsistent behavior when adding images
- Formatting problems when pasting content

**Requested features**

- Add undo/redo functionality
- Improve table formatting and calculations
- Allow custom folder colors and icons
- Implement a page view for longer notes
- Integrate with Reminders app for to-do lists


### 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 Notes free?

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, Notes or Plain Note?

Notes is rated higher. Notes averages 4.8 out of 5 from 641K ratings, while Plain Note averages 4.6 from 1.1K ratings.

### Do Notes or Plain Note have ads?

Neither Notes nor Plain Note shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notes or Plain Note?

Notes ships an update every 9 months, and Plain Note every 10 days. Most recently, Notes was updated on September 25, 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.*