Notes vs Sticky Notes + Widgets
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Notes
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.
- 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
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Notes is the best place to jot down quick thoughts or to save longer notes filled with checklists, images, web links, scanned documents, handwritten notes, or sketches. And with iCloud, it's easy to keep all your devices in sync, so you’ll always have your notes with you. Features Powerful note-taking • Add attachments - PDFs, photos, maps, web links, and more. • Record and transcribe audio directly into a note. • Scan paper documents with the built-in document scanner. • Secure sensitive or personal data in a locked note. • Create checklists. Make a grocery list, a wish list, or a to-do list, then tap to check off items as you go. • Apply different text styles, such as heading or body, bulleted lists, highlighting, and more. • Tap next to section headers to reveal a chevron to collapse text. • Add tables to quickly organize information. • Use your finger, or Apple Pencil on a compatible iPad, to sketch right in your note or an inline PDF. Choose from a variety of brush styles and colors, and add lines and grids to a note for easier writing and drawing. • Take a Quick Note without opening the app - add Quick Note to your Control Center, swipe up from the bottom right corner with an Apple Pencil on iPad, or use Fn-Q on a keyboard. Organize and search • Search for text in notes, your handwriting, and even inside scanned documents and photos like receipts or bills. • Link from one note to another to connect ideas, content, or any information. Try typing >> for a shortcut to add links while writing in your note. • Keep your notes in folders and subfolders, or add tags to categorize them. Type or handwrite tags directly in your note - like #cooking or #expenses. • Automatically organize notes in a Smart Folder based on filters. Create rules to filter for Date Created, Checklists, Attachments, and more. Collaborate • Collaborate on entire shared folders or on specific shared notes. • Mention friends to notify them of important updates and link them directly to a shared note. • See what others added into a shared note while you were away with Activity view, a day-to-day list summary of activity from each collaborator. Notes for Apple Watch • View all of your iCloud notes right from your wrist; you can also pin notes, complete checklist items, or create new notes with dictation or Siri. Certain features are available only in select languages and regions.
Sticky Notes + Widgets
Capture and manage your thoughts with colorful, customizable notes and reminders. Organize tasks with folders and access them instantly via home screen widgets. Syncs seamlessly across your devices.
- Create sticky notes instantly
- Customize notes with colors and fonts
- Pin important notes
- Set reminders
- Organize with folders
- Home screen widgets for quick access
- Sync across devices
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Sticky Notes – Organize, Customize, and Stay on Top of Your Tasks Turn your iPhone and iPad into a powerful note-taking tool with Sticky Notes. Whether you need a quick reminder, a colorful to-do list, or an organized folder of ideas, Sticky Notes makes it simple to capture and manage your thoughts. Key Features: • Create Sticky Notes Instantly – Write down reminders, tasks, and ideas with ease. • Customize Your Notes – Choose from a wide range of colors, fonts, and background images to make each note your own. • Pin Important Notes – Keep your most important notes at the top for quick access. • Reminders – Never forget a task again. • Organize with Folders – Categorize your notes into folders and stay clutter-free. • Widgets for Quick View – Add sticky notes to your Home Screen and access them without opening the app. • Share your notes as images on social networks. • Sync Across Devices – Your notes stay up to date on iPhone, iPad and MacOS with seamless synchronization. Sticky Notes is designed for speed, simplicity, and personalization—perfect for students, professionals, or anyone who wants to stay organized.
Screenshots
Verdict
Notes and Sticky Notes + Widgets both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Sticky Notes + Widgets's written reviews are positive against 51% of Notes's. Sticky Notes + Widgets also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 9 months). Notes's advantage is ratings volume (641K vs 16) and device support (5 vs 3). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Notes against 4.8 for Sticky Notes + Widgets. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notes has 641K ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 51% of Notes's written reviews are positive against 100% of Sticky Notes + Widgets's.
Notes ships an update every 9 months, Sticky Notes + Widgets fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Notes | Sticky Notes + Widgets |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (641K ratings) | 4.8 (16 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 51.2% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 641K — better | 16 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Apple | Yury Kaspiarovich |
Customer experience
Notes
Sticky Notes + Widgets
Bugs and requests
Notes
Reported bugs
5 issues- 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
6 requests- 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
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- Provide more drawing/annotation tools
Sticky Notes + Widgets
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Notes
No in-app purchases
Sticky Notes + Widgets
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Notes free?
Is Sticky Notes + Widgets free?
Which has better reviews, Notes or Sticky Notes + Widgets?
Do Notes or Sticky Notes + Widgets have ads?
Which is updated more often, Notes or Sticky Notes + Widgets?
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