# Simple Notepad vs Plain Note

The clearest difference is ads: Plain Note at none against Simple Notepad's shown. Plain Note also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). Simple Notepad's advantage is iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Simple Notepad sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month and Plain Note sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Simple Notepad against 4.6 for Plain Note. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.8K and 1.1K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of Simple Notepad's written reviews are positive against 62% of Plain Note's.

Simple Notepad ships an update every 3 weeks, Plain Note every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Simple Notepad | Plain Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (2.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-notepad-bestnote/id1207183021/reviews) | [4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plain-note-notes-widget/id1478542921/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.8K** | 1.1K |
| Positive reviews | **68.5% of reviews** | 62.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 32 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [EasterEggs](https://appshunter.io/developer/553389214) | [Monelyze Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1086641918) |

## What reviewers say

### Simple Notepad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-notepad-bestnote/id1207183021)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Plan | $3.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🎨 Customizable colors and themes
- 🗂️ Folder organization
- 🔒 Secure with password protection
- 📝 Good for note-taking and journaling

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🙄 Intrusive ads
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 📱 Not optimized for iPad
- 🖋️ No handwriting support
- 💾 No backup/sync options

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### Plain Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plain-note-notes-widget/id1478542921)

This app allows you to create and organize notes with customizable tags and icons. It offers lock screen and home screen widgets for quick access and supports character/line counting. Personalize your experience with themes, app icons, and fonts.

**Highlights:** Organize notes with tags, Customizable tag icons and colors, Character and line counting, Lock screen and home screen widgets, Customizable themes, app icons, and fonts, Archive and organize notes

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium - Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium - Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium - Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and clean design
- 💡 One-time payment model
- 🚀 Beautifully designed notes app
- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Customizable tags and icons

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Notes sometimes don't save properly
- 🐛 Slow and unreliable synchronization
- ❌ No text formatting options (bold, italics, etc.)
- ❌ No ability to insert photos or videos
- ❌ No option to export notes

**Reported bugs**

- Notes sometimes get deleted after updates
- Widget not working as expected, showing wrong note

**Requested features**

- Ability to swipe widget to display another note
- Subfolders for better organization
- Export function to backup notes
- Option to change app colors
- Support for multiple notes in one widget


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Simple Notepad free?

Simple Notepad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Plain Note free?

Plain Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Simple Notepad or Plain Note?

Simple Notepad and Plain Note are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2.8K and 1.1K ratings respectively.

### Do Simple Notepad or Plain Note have ads?

Simple Notepad shows ads; Plain Note does not.

### Which is updated more often, Simple Notepad or Plain Note?

Simple Notepad ships an update every 3 weeks, and Plain Note every 9 days. Most recently, Simple Notepad was updated on September 28, 2026 and Plain Note on October 1, 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.*