# Notes vs My Notes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Notes at none against My Notes's 8. Notes also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (641K vs 3). My Notes's advantage is update cadence (every 11 days vs every 9 months) and review sentiment (80% vs 51%). On price and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. My Notes sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

My Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notes has 641K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of Notes's written reviews are positive against 80% of My Notes's.

Notes ships an update every 9 months, My Notes every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and August 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notes | My Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (641K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes/id1110145109/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/my-notes-notebook-notepad/id6450179185/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **641K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 51.2% of reviews | **80.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 11 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 6 MB | 129 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [MARKO NIKOLIC PR RACUNARSKO PROGRAMIRANJE ASCENDIK NIS](https://appshunter.io/developer/1613735268) |

## 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


### My Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/my-notes-notebook-notepad/id6450179185)

Capture ideas, manage tasks, and organize information with this versatile note-taking app. Create separate notebooks, use checklists, draw, record audio, and customize with themes. Secure your notes with a codelock and back them up to the cloud.

**Highlights:** Separate notebooks for organization, Daily checklists and to-do lists, Text formatting, drawing, and audio notes, Customizable backgrounds and themes, Home screen widget for quick access, Codelock for enhanced security, Cloud backup and restore

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| My Notes Premium (monthly) | $3.99 | per month |
| Limited offer Premium (yearly) | $14.99 | per year |
| My Notes Premium (yearly) | $18.99 | per year |
| My Notes Premium (yearly) | $18.99 | per year |
| My Notes Premium user (yearly) | $39.99 | per year |
| Limited offer Pro (lifetime) | $29.99 | one-time |
| My Notes Premium (lifetime) | $34.99 | one-time |
| My Notes Premium (lifetime) | $69.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notes free?

Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is My Notes free?

My Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Notes or My Notes?

My Notes is rated higher. Notes averages 4.8 out of 5 from 641K ratings, while My Notes averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Notes or My Notes have ads?

My Notes shows ads; Notes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Notes or My Notes?

Notes ships an update every 9 months, and My Notes every 11 days. Most recently, Notes was updated on October 1, 2026 and My Notes on August 5, 2026.

---

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