# Notes and Folders vs Home Screen Widget Notes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Home Screen Widget Notes at none against Notes and Folders's 1. Home Screen Widget Notes also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Notes and Folders's advantage is ratings volume (303 vs 22). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notes and Folders sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Home Screen Widget Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Home Screen Widget Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notes and Folders has 303 ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of Notes and Folders's written reviews are positive against 78% of Home Screen Widget Notes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Notes and Folders ships an update every 3 weeks, Home Screen Widget Notes monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notes and Folders | Home Screen Widget Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (303 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-and-folders-notepad/id1126289455/reviews) | **[4.8 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/home-screen-widget-notes/id1542308446/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **303** | 22 |
| Positive reviews | **80.4% of reviews** | 78.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 17 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [KinkumaDesign](https://appshunter.io/developer/385697725) | [App Palette LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/711326934) |

## What reviewers say

### Notes and Folders

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-and-folders-notepad/id1126289455)

Organize your thoughts and memories with this app. Create folders for notes, attach photos, and even keep a dated diary. Secure your entries with password protection and access them easily with widgets and search functionality.

**Highlights:** Organize notes with folders and subfolders, Attach photos to notes, Dated diary entries, Password lock (Passcode, Touch ID, Face ID), Widgets for quick access, Search notes, Backup to Dropbox, PC, or Mac

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $3.99 | one-time |


### Home Screen Widget Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/home-screen-widget-notes/id1542308446)

Organize your thoughts and ideas into customizable tabs for easy management.  Add images, count characters, and secure your notes with a password lock. Export your data as a text file.

**Highlights:** Home screen widget, Unlimited tabs and memos, Character count, Attach up to four images per note, Change background color, Password lock, Export note data as text file

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Very easy to use
- 🔒 Lockable with password/biometrics
- 🖼️ Can attach photos
- 📁 Folder management available
- 🔢 Character count included

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐌 Input lag after updates
- 🐛 Deleting one character deletes two
- 🐌 App becomes slow with many notes
- 🐛 Long notes only partially displayed
- 🐛 Widget issues (not selectable, not displaying)

**Reported bugs**

- Typing lag after update
- Deleting one character deletes two
- Long notes only partially displayed
- Widget issues (not selectable, not displaying)
- Last line of some notes not displayed

**Requested features**

- Bluetooth keyboard connection
- Hide note title
- Swipe to delete notes
- Backup function (paid is okay)
- Full note copy function


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notes and Folders free?

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

### Is Home Screen Widget Notes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Notes and Folders or Home Screen Widget Notes?

Home Screen Widget Notes is rated higher. Notes and Folders averages 4.5 out of 5 from 303 ratings, while Home Screen Widget Notes averages 4.8 from 22 ratings.

### Do Notes and Folders or Home Screen Widget Notes have ads?

Both Notes and Folders and Home Screen Widget Notes show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Notes and Folders or Home Screen Widget Notes?

Notes and Folders ships an update every 3 weeks, and Home Screen Widget Notes monthly. Most recently, Notes and Folders was updated on November 2, 2026 and Home Screen Widget Notes on November 3, 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.*