Comparison

Notepad vs Smooth Note (with Folders)

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

Head to head
About

Notepad

A user-friendly notepad app for organizing notes with tabs and protecting your privacy with Face ID/Touch ID. It offers iCloud syncing, photo attachments, and easy sharing options.

Highlights
  • Face ID/Touch ID/Passcode app lock
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Organize notes with customizable tabs
  • Attach photos to notes
  • Share notes to other apps
  • Quick save and reorder functionality
Features
Read full description

Simple yet powerful. A user-friendly notepad app that organizes your notes with tabs. ●Protect Your Privacy ・Lock the app with Face ID / Touch ID / Passcode ・Keep your important notes safe from prying eyes ●Sync Everywhere ・iCloud sync automatically syncs your iPhone & iPad data ・Peace of mind when switching devices ●Organize with Tabs ・Sort notes into tabs like "Work", "Shopping", "Ideas" ・Add and rearrange tabs freely (up to 8 in free version) ●Easy to Use ・Pull down to save - that's it! ・Long press & drag to reorder ・One-tap paste from clipboard ・Long press URLs & phone numbers to open instantly ●Photos Included ・Attach photos to notes for richer memories ●Share Anywhere ・Send to your favorite apps - Messages, Twitter, Email & more ●Perfect for ・Keeping private notes away from others ・Quickly jotting down ideas ・Syncing notes across multiple devices ・Organizing notes by category ・Saving notes with photos

About

Smooth Note (with Folders)

This app offers a simple and fast way to take notes, organize them into folders, and customize your writing experience. It supports dark mode, voice input, and easy sharing to various platforms.

Highlights
  • Folder in folder organization
  • Dark mode support
  • Fast app launch
  • Customizable font and size
  • Convenient copy and paste
  • Voice input
  • Sharing to SNS and email
Features
Read full description

The simplest and most convenient memo app. Since there is no character limit, it is also suitable for notebooks and manuscripts. ・ Dark mode compatible ・ Folder in folder function ・ App launch is fast ・ Support available ・ Character count ・ Font and size can be changed ・ Convenient copy and paste button ・ Swipe the screen to the right to return ・ Abundant color variations ・ Voice input is also possible with iPhone settings ・ Can be sent by email ・ You can share notes on SNS ・ Easy data migration ・ If you don't need various functions, you can turn it off in the settings. ・ We also accept requests for new features ■ Recommended use ・ Todo list ·Shopping list ・ As a draft of the document. For example, reports, minutes, sentences, novels, lyrics, etc. ・ Write down the idea I will explain how to use the app for each screen. ■ List screen This screen allows you to see a list of memos and folder titles. If you set the dark mode, it's easy on your eyes. You can view and edit the memo by tapping the line of the memo. Tap a folder line to go to the screen inside that folder. If you delete a folder, you can delete all its contents. ● Add new button (round + mark) → Go to the screen for registering a new memo. ● Add folder button → You can add a folder to the displayed location. You can register a folder in a folder without any upper limit, such as registering a folder in a folder and then registering a folder in that folder. ● Edit button (pencil mark) → You can rearrange the lines. You can easily change the folder name by pressing the i button displayed in edit mode. You can move them to another location by selecting the rows in edit mode and pressing the round folder move button. Of course, you can move notes and folders. ■ Folder move screen If you press the round check button while the screen you want to move to is displayed, you will be moved to that folder. ● Add folder button → You can register a folder in that location. ■ Memo screen You can view and edit your notes in your favorite font. There is a text full selection button and a copy / paste button, so you can easily transfer data to and from other apps. Swipe the screen to the right to save the text you have entered and easily return to the list screen. You can rest assured that it will be saved automatically even if you receive a call and close the app. ● Clipboard button → You can show or hide the copy and paste button. ● Share button → You can link the memo to other apps. Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, LINE, iPhone memo app, Twitter, discord, Microsoft Outlook, Teams, etc. ● Cut button → Cut the selected text ● Copy button → Copy selected text ● Paste button → Paste the text on the clipboard (you can also paste by pressing the button continuously) ● ALL button → Select all text ● Check button → Close keyboard ■ Setting screen For example, you can set the following. ·font size -List row height -Title bar color (left and right gradation. No color can be selected) ・ Display the character count of the memo at the top of the screen You can also set the keyboard to be displayed from the beginning when you open the memo by changing it. Turn this on so you don't have to make one tap to edit your notes. You can also set the copy / paste button to always appear when you edit a memo. You can also hide the copy / paste button by pressing the clipboard button at the top right of the memo screen. ■ Postscript It is an application that eliminates waste and leaves only the necessary functions. Fine settings are possible and it is designed to fit in the hands of each user. It's a hassle, and I really wanted to reduce unnecessary small operations as much as possible, so I pondered and arrived at the current design. After a long app test, it was successfully completed and the app was released. We hope that many people will use it and use it in their daily lives, and we will be more than happy.

Screenshots

Notepad1 screens
Smooth Note (with Folders)4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Smooth Note (with Folders) at 75% against Notepad's 54%. Smooth Note (with Folders) also leads on ratings volume (30 vs 3). Notepad's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Notepad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Smooth Note (with Folders) sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notepad holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Smooth Note (with Folders) has 30 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 54% of Notepad's written reviews are positive against 75% of Smooth Note (with Folders)'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notepad ships an update every 4 days, Smooth Note (with Folders) every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Notepad versus Smooth Note (with Folders): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotepadSmooth Note (with Folders)
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better4.8 (30 ratings)
Positive reviews53.6% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings330 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 6 days
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better14.4
Further details — not scored
Size30 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSeiji HashizumeSyncly Applications

Customer experience

Notepad

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive53.6%
Neutral7.1%
Negative39.3%

Smooth Note (with Folders)

All ratings30 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral3.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Notepad

One-time1
  • Full Version$2.99
1 purchases

Smooth Note (with Folders)

One-time1
  • No ads etc$3.99

Questions

Is Notepad free?
Notepad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Smooth Note (with Folders) free?
Smooth Note (with Folders) is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notepad or Smooth Note (with Folders)?
Notepad is rated higher. Notepad averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Smooth Note (with Folders) averages 4.8 from 30 ratings.
Do Notepad or Smooth Note (with Folders) have ads?
Both Notepad and Smooth Note (with Folders) show ads.
Which is updated more often, Notepad or Smooth Note (with Folders)?
Notepad ships an update every 4 days, and Smooth Note (with Folders) every 6 days. Most recently, Notepad was updated on October 13, 2026 and Smooth Note (with Folders) on October 12, 2026.

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