Comparison

Color Notepad vs Ashnote

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Color Notepad

A clean and simple note-taking app that lets you personalize your experience with over 20 colorful themes. It offers a minimalist design for distraction-free writing, iCloud sync, and robust backup options.

Highlights
  • Minimalist design
  • 20+ colorful themes
  • Light & Dark Mode
  • iCloud sync
  • Sort notes
  • Export notes
  • Automatic local backups
Features
Read full description

Color Notepad is a clean and simple note-taking app designed to match your personal style. Whether you’re jotting down quick thoughts, daily tasks, or important ideas, Color Notepad keeps things fast, easy, and customizable. Choose from 20+ colorful themes to match your mood — or let the app surprise you with a random one each time you open it. Key Feature: • Minimalist design for quick and distraction-free note-taking. • 20+ colorful themes to suit your mood. • Light & Dark Mode support for every theme. • iCloud sync to keep your notes up to date across devices. • Sort your notes by date or alphabetically. • Export individual notes or your entire archive for backup or sharing. • Automatic local backups with the ability to restore notes. Color Notepad is perfect for anyone looking for a lightweight, private, and beautifully customizable notes app — with no ads, no accounts, and no clutter.

About

Ashnote

Features
Read full description

ASHnote is a local-first markdown notes and journaling app for personal use. All notes are saved directly on your device as plain text files. No account is required, and no data is sent to any server unless you choose to set up iCloud or Git sync. Key features - Markdown editor with slash commands and a formatting toolbar - Folder structure with custom emoji icons - Calendar and journal views for daily note organization - Mood and weather icons for journaling - Tags and favorites for quick filtering - Pin important notes to the top - Full-text search - Optional iCloud sync to keep notes across Apple devices - Optional Git sync to back up notes to a Git repository - Fully offline capable Privacy-first You can use ASHnote without logging in. Unless you explicitly enable iCloud or Git sync, no data is transmitted to our servers. ASHnote offers all core note-taking features for free, with an optional auto-renewable premium subscription that unlocks additional features. ASHnote Premium (Auto-Renewable Subscription) - Monthly: US$2.99/month - Yearly: US$24.99/year Premium subscription includes: - Version history - Sticky notes - Multiple vaults - Export and sharing (PDF, HTML, ZIP) - AI assistant Payment will be charged to your Apple account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Terms of Use: https://note.sunteq.net/terms Privacy Policy: https://note.sunteq.net/privacy

Screenshots

Color Notepad3 screens
Ashnote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ashnote at none against Color Notepad's 1. Ashnote also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 months) and device support (5 vs 3). On price, ads and iOS requirement 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. Color Notepad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Ashnote asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Color Notepad ships an update every 5 months, Ashnote every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Color Notepad versus Ashnote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterColor NotepadAshnote
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (603 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews46.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings603 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDmytro VynokurovSanghoon Ahn

Bugs and requests

Color Notepad

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Notes deleted unexpectedly after saving
  • App crashes and fails to reopen
  • Text disappears or becomes invisible
  • Keyboard covers note content during editing
  • Inconsistent save functionality (8 out of 10 times fails)
Show 2 more
  • App unresponsive to input commands
  • Notes lost after app closure

Requested features

6 requests
  • Password protection for notes
  • Different colors for individual notes
  • Checklist functionality with reset capability
  • Note sharing capabilities
  • Multiple font options
Show 1 more
  • Apple Pencil support

Ashnote

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Color Notepad

One-time1
  • Unlimited Storage$4.99
None

Ashnote

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Color Notepad free?
Color Notepad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ashnote free?
Ashnote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Color Notepad or Ashnote have ads?
Neither Color Notepad nor Ashnote shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Color Notepad or Ashnote?
Color Notepad ships an update every 5 months, and Ashnote every 4 days. Most recently, Color Notepad was updated on September 23, 2026 and Ashnote on September 13, 2026.

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