Flow vs Simple Handwritten Note
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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—
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.
- Handwritten note-taking
- Drawing and sketching
- Memo pad functionality
- Quick idea capture
- Writing, erasing, and saving
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Flow | Simple Handwritten Note |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (7.2K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 23.8% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7.2K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 264 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bonobo | Ryouhei Azuma |
Customer experience
Flow
Simple Handwritten Note
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
Flow
- Monthly Membership7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Annual Membership7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Bonobo Bundle (Annual)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
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- Bonobo Bundle (Annual Family)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Bonobo Bundle (Lifetime)$129.99
Simple Handwritten Note
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Flow free?
Is Simple Handwritten Note free?
Which has better reviews, Flow or Simple Handwritten Note?
Do Flow or Simple Handwritten Note have ads?
Which is updated more often, Flow or Simple Handwritten Note?
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