Comparison

Simple Notepad vs PhotoNote

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

Head to head
About

Simple Notepad

This app offers a unique note-taking experience with a three-tab system for memos, remarks, and history. Attach photos to your notes and secure them with a password. Organize your thoughts with folder division for efficient management.

Highlights
  • Three-tab note structure (Memo, Remarks, History)
  • Attach images to notes
  • Password security lock
  • Folder division for organization
  • Revision history tracking
  • Additional remarks field
Read full description

"BestNote" is a memo pad application aimed at the highest. As a characteristic feature of "BestNote", the memo creation page is divided into three tabs. It is "memo" "remarks" "history". "Memo" tab is the same function as normal memo pad. "Remarks" "History" is a feature of this application's commitment. In the "Remarks" tab, there is another character input field in addition to the memo, so you can use it in various ways, such as writing a simple draft when writing a note or using it as a remarks column. In addition, it is also possible to attach images on the "Remarks" tab, and it is possible to use it beyond the frame of Notepad depending on the ingenuity. Although it is the "history" tab, contents written in the "memo" tab are accumulated in the history as the name does. (It will be written to the history when you press save button on memo page) With this function, it is possible to recover promptly even in unforeseen circumstances such as mistakenly editing important information accidentally. In addition to the security lock password function. Various functions such as folder division function to make memo easier to manage are carried. Please try downloading it once by all means. ・Terms of Use https://eeggs.jp/terms-of-use-en

About

PhotoNote

Capture information visually by taking photos instead of typing. Organize your visual notes with tabs and colored tags. Photos are stored within the app, preventing clutter in your device's photo gallery.

Highlights
  • Capture notes via camera
  • Organize with tabs
  • Categorize with colored tags
  • Internal photo storage
  • Reorder notes and tags
Read full description

Instead of typing letters on the keyboard, I'm sure there are times when I take a picture and use it as a note instead. However, there is a risk that the photo folder will be flooded with notes. It is this application that is useful in such a case. All you have to do is take a picture with the built-in camera. You can organize the notes you have taken with tabs. In addition, the photos you took will be saved in the app, so you won't clutter up your photo folder! Usage examples: - Receipt - Timetable - Cooking Recipes - Deadline for reports written on the blackboard - Organize the screenshot. In addition, you can separate the notes you took with colored tags for each category. Tags can be added, deleted, and reordered from the pre-prepared colors. You can also reorder your notes.

Screenshots

Simple Notepad4 screens
PhotoNote3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PhotoNote at 100% against Simple Notepad's 68%. PhotoNote also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Simple Notepad's advantage is ratings volume (2.8K vs 2). 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. Simple Notepad sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month and PhotoNote sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PhotoNote holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Notepad has 2.8K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Simple Notepad's written reviews are positive against 100% of PhotoNote's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Simple Notepad versus PhotoNote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple NotepadPhotoNote
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (2.8K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.8K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEasterEggsSatoshi Kobayashi

Customer experience

Simple Notepad

All ratings2,818 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral4.3%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews168 reviews
Positive68.5%
Neutral10.1%
Negative21.4%

PhotoNote

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Simple Notepad

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on launch
  • Notes disappearing after updates
  • Vertical orientation not working
  • Unable to recover lost notes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Option to remove ads
  • Ability to sync notes across devices
  • More font and formatting options
  • Print functionality
  • Improved iPad support

PhotoNote

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Simple Notepad

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Plan$3.991 Month
1 purchases

PhotoNote

Subscriptions1
  • Pro plan$1.991 Month

Questions

Is Simple Notepad free?
Simple Notepad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PhotoNote free?
PhotoNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Simple Notepad or PhotoNote?
PhotoNote is rated higher. Simple Notepad averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while PhotoNote averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Simple Notepad or PhotoNote have ads?
Both Simple Notepad and PhotoNote show ads.
Which is updated more often, Simple Notepad or PhotoNote?
Simple Notepad ships an update every 3 weeks, and PhotoNote every 3 weeks. Most recently, Simple Notepad was updated on September 25, 2026 and PhotoNote on September 7, 2026.

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