# Charles' Notes vs Motes

The clearest difference is rating: Charles' Notes at 4.3 against Motes's 3.0. Charles' Notes also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (6 vs 1). Motes's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Motes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per year. Charles' Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Charles' Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Charles' Notes has 6 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Charles' Notes's written reviews are positive against 67% of Motes's.

Charles' Notes ships an update every 4 months, Motes monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and August 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Charles' Notes | Motes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charles-notes-notebook-app/id1301927822/reviews)** | [3.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/motes-modern-notes/id1542609421/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **6** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **72.7% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 17 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Vanilla b.v.](https://appshunter.io/developer/517474510) | [Tomasz Gucio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1511914165) |

## What reviewers say

### Charles' Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/charles-notes-notebook-app/id1301927822)

A straightforward notebook app designed for quick note-taking and writing. It prioritizes a clean interface and essential features for a focused, clutter-free experience, storing all notes securely on your device.

**Highlights:** Clutter-free writing experience, Clear typeface and fonts for readability, Multitasking with split-screen support, Focused writing with plain text input, On-device note storage for privacy

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Motes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/motes-modern-notes/id1542609421)

A modern digital notebook for quick note-taking with easy styling and organization. Features include to-do lists, OCR text capture, and import/export options. Synchronize your notes across multiple devices using cloud storage.

**Highlights:** Quick note-taking with styles, Organize with labels, To-do lists and task tracking, OCR text capture, Import from OneNote/Evernote, Export to PDF, Cloud synchronization

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full version | $0.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Charles' Notes free?

Charles' Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Motes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Charles' Notes or Motes?

Charles' Notes is rated higher. Charles' Notes averages 4.3 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Motes averages 3.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Charles' Notes or Motes have ads?

Neither Charles' Notes nor Motes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Charles' Notes or Motes?

Charles' Notes ships an update every 4 months, and Motes monthly. Most recently, Charles' Notes was updated on September 14, 2026 and Motes on August 16, 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.*