Comparison

Simpletext vs Superlist

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

Head to head
About

Simpletext

This app offers a minimalist writing experience, focusing solely on plain text. It provides a distraction-free environment with beautiful typography and native performance across Apple devices. Ideal for those who want to concentrate on their words without unnecessary features.

Highlights
  • Zero clutter interface
  • Beautiful typography with professional fonts
  • Plain text only support
  • Fully native Apple app
  • Supports custom fonts
Features
Read full description

The Simplest Writing App for Mac, iPad and iPhone There are many writing apps for you to choose from today, so why bother with yet another one? Because Simpletext is simpler. Its single-minded commitment to simplicity means you’ll get a no-frills writing app that works well and looks great, forever. Simpletext started as a passion project because I couldn’t find what I was looking for. Most apps were trying to do too much and ended up bloated with features I never needed. So I built Simpletext based on a simple premise — what if there’s an app that refuses to do more, choosing instead to do just one thing, and do it well? For Simpletext, that one thing is writing. Why Simpletext? Most people would say Simpletext is lacking in features, and they’re right. In fact, Simpletext began the opposite way — by listing down everything I didn’t want in a writing app. The goal is to create a dumbed-down writing app that inspires you to do nothing else but write. In order to achieve this, I designed Simpletext around four cornerstone principles: 1. Zero Clutter Simpletext is unobtrusive. It provides a blank canvas to write with absolutely nothing to distract you from writing. There’s no visual clutter — the intent is to create a quiet space that helps you connect with your voice, get into the flow, and simply write. With zero clutter, Simpletext lets your words take centre stage. 2. Beautiful Typography Simpletext comes with three professional fonts for you to choose from, handpicked to provide the finest writing experience. They are: (1) Akkurat Mono by Lineto (Monospaced); (2) Graphik by Commercial Type (Sans Serif); and (3) Tiempos Text by Klim Type Foundry (Serif). And if you have a personal favourite font, you can use it in Simpletext too. 3. Plain Text Only Simpletext supports only plain text, which is fast, lightweight and platform-independent. It will never have formatting options, so your files will never be filled with unnecessary attributes. Plain text also ensures your files are always accessible on any device, now and in the future. 4. Fully Native Simpletext is a fully native app developed in Swift and runs natively on Apple silicon. It uses only Apple’s framework and UI components, just as they were intended to be used without any custom workarounds. This approach results in less code, less bugs and better overall performance. Here's What Others Have to Say “I just wanted to thank you for developing Simpletext. It’s perfect. I’ve enjoyed its simplicity and smoothness for quite some time, but now that I can use my favourite font in it (Sina Nova, free on Fontspring) it has truly become not just the best app to write in, but my favourite app period. Thank you for creating and maintaining it.” - Bart “This app does everything it says on the tin. It is not meant to do a lot, but what it does it does very well. It is well designed and suits well those who want to focus on writing and avoid dealing with formatting, proprietary file types and hidden saving locations. It produces and edits .txt files, which will probably be around for as long as there are computers, and saves them in plain sight. Five stars.” - Fernando “I’ve tried all sorts of writing apps but Simpletext is definitely the best of all. So grateful for your dedication and those productivity tips in the blog post are so good. Simpletext is such a joy to use.” - LWL Art Studio “A writing app that is as simple as stated, beautiful to write with and opens and closes wherever you want. Simple tweaks are easily accessible, if required, and only add to the minimalistic perfection. Good job.” - Tuntle Get Back to Basics In a world full of feature-rich, subscription-based apps, I wanted to create something that goes back to basics. Simpletext is intentionally simple, yet it has everything you need. It’s an app I use every single day. I hope you will too. Best wishes, Yeow Jin P.S. Simpletext comes with a promise — find out more at simpletext.app/promise

About

Superlist

Organize your work and personal life with a modern to-do list and notes app. Create tasks using AI voice input, collaborate with teams in real-time, and manage everything in one simple, customizable place. It's designed for efficient task management and seamless organization.

Highlights
  • AI voice task creation
  • Real-time team collaboration
  • Customizable lists
  • Note-taking and brainstorming
  • Email and Slack to-do conversion
  • Offline mode
Features
Read full description

From the team that created Wunderlist: Superlist is the to-do list, notes, and AI meeting app that keeps your work and life organized — and turns every meeting into action items automatically, so nothing slips through the cracks. Capture AI meeting notes, create tasks by voice, collaborate in real-time, and manage it all in one beautiful place. AI that turns meetings into action: - Auto-generate structured meeting notes — summaries, action items, and due dates — the moment your call ends. - Ask AI Chat follow-up questions about any meeting, or generate replies and next steps from your notes. - Speak your thoughts with the Voice Assistant — Superlist turns them into tasks, reminders, and notes instantly. - Convert Slack messages, emails, and Linear tickets into tasks with one tap. The fastest way from idea to done: - Create tasks in plain language — type "call Sarah tomorrow at 3pm" and Superlist handles the rest. - Start projects instantly with AI-assisted list generation. - Add due dates just by typing them — no menus. - Capture notes, brainstorm, and turn thoughts into todos. Everything in one place: - Organized, customizable lists with infinite subtask nesting. - Work projects, personal goals, and everything between — in one view. - Reminders and notifications across all your devices. - Repeatable tasks to build your routine. Work better together: - Real-time collaboration on shared lists and projects. - Chat inside tasks to keep conversations on-point. - Share lists, assign tasks, and manage work — without switching apps. - Integrates with Slack, Linear, GitHub, Gmail, Google Calendar, and more. Built for real people: - A beautiful interface that's a joy to use. - Customize lists with cover images and emojis. - Works on every device, online and offline. Why people switch from other to-do apps: Most productivity apps are either too basic or too complicated. The team behind Wunderlist built Superlist to give you the power of a task manager and project planner with the simplicity of a to-do list. - No complicated setup - Start free, upgrade when you need more - Privacy-first and secure. Made in Germany. Perfect for: - Daily to-do lists and personal task management - Team tasks and collaboration - Meeting notes and AI note-taking - Project planning and project management - Shopping lists, family lists, and checklists - Habit tracking, routines, and daily planning - GTD (Getting Things Done) workflow - Students, freelancers, and busy professionals Get started today for free. Superlist can be used for free, but you can upgrade and unlock more features with a subscription. A monthly or yearly purchase will be applied to your iTunes account on confirmation. Subscriptions auto-renew unless canceled within 24 hours before the end of the current period. Cancel anytime in your iTunes account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited if you purchase a subscription. See our Terms of Use (www.superlist.com/terms) and Privacy Policy (www.superlist.com/privacy-policy).

Screenshots

Simpletext4 screens
Superlist4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Superlist at Free against Simpletext's $14.99. Superlist also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.1) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 months). Simpletext's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 15) and review sentiment (73% vs 48%). On ads 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

Superlist is free to download; Simpletext costs $14.99 up front. Superlist sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $6.00 per month. Simpletext asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Superlist holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Superlist has 460 ratings behind it against 23, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 73% of Simpletext's written reviews are positive against 48% of Superlist's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simpletext ships an update every 3 months, Superlist every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Simpletext versus Superlist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimpletextSuperlist
Price$14.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (23 ratings)4.5 (460 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.3% of reviews — better47.9% of reviews
Number of ratings23460 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB130 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYeow Jin GanSuperlist Software GmbH

Customer experience

Simpletext

All ratings23 ratings
Positive73.9%
Neutral8.7%
Negative17.4%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive73.3%
Neutral13.3%
Negative13.3%

Superlist

All ratings458 ratings
Positive85.6%
Neutral7.9%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews169 reviews
Positive47.9%
Neutral22.5%
Negative29.6%

Bugs and requests

Simpletext

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Superlist

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Tasks don't sync properly between devices
  • Shared lists don't sync correctly, completed/deleted tasks still shown
  • Login with Apple doesn't work
  • Microsoft To-Do integration doesn't work
  • Notifications not working
Show 1 more
  • Text fields not activating, tasks not editable

Requested features

11 requests
  • Add handwriting to text and printing lists
  • Ability to set a 'start date' separate from due date
  • Show list name in large font in notifications
  • Display list name above tasks in Today view
  • Add calendar view
Show 6 more
  • Show time until due date on list widget
  • Add shortcuts and Siri integration
  • Improve natural language processing for due dates
  • Add ability to delete/manage tags
  • Implement toggle headings feature
  • Add widgets for quick task access

In-app purchases

None

Simpletext

No in-app purchases

15 purchases

Superlist

Subscriptions15
  • Basic Monthly$6.001 Month
  • Basic Monthly7 Days trial$6.001 Month
  • Pro Personal$10.001 Month
Show 12 more
  • Pro Monthly$15.001 Month
  • Pro Monthly7 Days trial$15.001 Month
  • Super Monthly$25.001 Month
  • Super Monthly7 Days trial$25.001 Month
  • Basic Yearly$59.001 Year
  • Basic Yearly7 Days trial$59.001 Year
  • Pro Personal7 Days trial$96.001 Year
  • Pro Personal$96.001 Year
  • Pro Yearly7 Days trial$149.001 Year
  • Pro Yearly$179.001 Year
  • Super Yearly7 Days trial$249.001 Year
  • Super Yearly$249.001 Year

Questions

Is Simpletext free?
Simpletext costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Superlist free?
Superlist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Simpletext or Superlist?
Superlist is rated higher. Simpletext averages 4.1 out of 5 from 23 ratings, while Superlist averages 4.5 from 460 ratings.
Do Simpletext or Superlist have ads?
Neither Simpletext nor Superlist shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Simpletext or Superlist?
Simpletext ships an update every 3 months, and Superlist every 9 days. Most recently, Simpletext was updated on October 22, 2026 and Superlist on October 21, 2026.

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