Comparison

Flow vs Simple Handwritten Note

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

Head to head
About

Flow

Create beautiful notes and drawings with realistic ink and paper. Collaborate on documents in real-time, sketch with customizable tools, and organize your work with infinite width documents and secure cloud syncing.

Highlights
  • Realistic ink and paper drawing
  • Infinite width documents
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Customizable drawing tools
  • Secure cloud syncing
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Export images and timelapse videos
Features
Read full description

Flow helps you make beautiful notes and draw with realistic ink and paper. Take notes, sketch, journal and plan all within the one app. With Apple Pencil, writing and drawing in Flow feels incredibly responsive, and you can even collaborate on documents with friends and colleagues. —FEATURES— - Infinite width documents, just swipe and keep writing and drawing - Secure storage, synced between your devices - Create your own unique set of drawing tools - Colored paper with dot grid, squared, lined or blank styles - Customizable gestures - Advanced Apple Pencil support - Organize your documents with customizable notebook covers - Elegant minimal interface that puts everything at your fingertips - Export images and timelapse videos - Multitask on iPad with Split View, Slide Over and drag-and-drop Membership with Flow includes realtime cloud storage and backup for your documents and tools across all of your devices. —MEMBERSHIP— Download Flow to try it free. After your free trial, Flow requires a subscription which provides you with regular app updates and realtime cloud storage of your documents. Monthly and discounted yearly options are available. If your subscription lapses, Flow remains available in read-only mode. —QUESTIONS?— We love to speak with users, so feel free to reach out at any time via the Flow menu under Help > Contact Support. If you have a feature idea, please let us know at https://bonobo.canny.io/flow. Want to learn more about Timepage, Actions, or Flow? Visit https://bonobolabs.com to read our guides. —MORE— Subscriptions will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew unless automatic renewal is turned off 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 your subscriptions and automatic renewal status in Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of the free trial period will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Price may vary by location. Privacy policy: https://bonobolabs.com/privacy Terms of service: https://bonobolabs.com/terms —THANK YOU—

About

Simple Handwritten Note

This app allows users to jot down notes and sketches using a black pen. It functions as a simple memo pad or notebook for quickly capturing ideas or communicating through writing. The core features include writing, erasing, and saving.

Highlights
  • Handwritten note-taking
  • Drawing and sketching
  • Memo pad functionality
  • Quick idea capture
  • Writing, erasing, and saving
Features
Read full description

A handwritten note app that lets you write with a black pen Can be used as a memo pad, notebook, quickly write down ideas, draw, sketch, written communicate, etc. It is a simple function of writing, erasing, and saving, please try it.

Screenshots

Flow4 screens
Simple Handwritten Note3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Simple Handwritten Note at 5.0 against Flow's 4.1. Simple Handwritten Note also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 5) and review sentiment (50% vs 24%). Flow's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). On price and device support 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. Flow sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Simple Handwritten Note asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Simple Handwritten Note holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Flow has 7.2K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of Flow's written reviews are positive against 50% of Simple Handwritten Note's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flow ships an update weekly, Simple Handwritten Note every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Flow versus Simple Handwritten Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlowSimple Handwritten Note
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (7.2K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews23.8% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.2K — better1
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size264 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBonoboRyouhei Azuma

Customer experience

Flow

All ratings7,235 ratings
Positive78.3%
Neutral4.2%
Negative17.5%
Written reviews1,007 reviews
Positive23.8%
Neutral9.2%
Negative66.9%

Simple Handwritten Note

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Flow

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Drawings disappearing or becoming corrupted
  • Eraser tool not functioning as expected
  • Scrolling and zooming issues
  • Compatibility problems on older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add vertical scrolling option
  • Improve line smoothing and anti-aliasing
  • Implement layers and advanced drawing tools
  • Integrate text input and handwriting recognition
  • Enhance export and sharing capabilities

Simple Handwritten Note

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Flow

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Membership7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Annual Membership7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Bonobo Bundle (Annual)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Bonobo Bundle (Annual Family)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Bonobo Bundle (Lifetime)$129.99
None

Simple Handwritten Note

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Flow free?
Flow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simple Handwritten Note free?
Simple Handwritten Note is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Flow or Simple Handwritten Note?
Simple Handwritten Note is rated higher. Flow averages 4.1 out of 5 from 7.2K ratings, while Simple Handwritten Note averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Flow or Simple Handwritten Note have ads?
Simple Handwritten Note shows ads; Flow does not.
Which is updated more often, Flow or Simple Handwritten Note?
Flow ships an update weekly, and Simple Handwritten Note every 3 months. Most recently, Flow was updated on October 20, 2026 and Simple Handwritten Note on October 9, 2026.

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