# Minimal | Notes vs NotePlan

The clearest difference is ratings volume: NotePlan at 1.5K against Minimal | Notes's 297. On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Minimal | Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and NotePlan sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Minimal | Notes against 4.8 for NotePlan. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NotePlan has 1.5K ratings behind it against 297, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Minimal | Notes's written reviews are positive against 85% of NotePlan's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Minimal | Notes | NotePlan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (297 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minimal-notes/id1442727443/reviews) | **[4.8 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteplan-to-do-list-and-notes/id1505432629/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 297 | **1.5K** |
| Positive reviews | 81.3% of reviews | **85.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Monetization | Subscription | Subscription |
| Size | 59 MB | 204 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Timeless](https://appshunter.io/developer/1183067513) | [NotePlan LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1137020763) |

## What reviewers say

### Minimal | Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minimal-notes/id1442727443)

This app offers a distraction-free writing environment inspired by meditation. It features collaborative writing, note expiration, and the ability to publish notes as websites. Organize tasks with integrated to-do lists and sync across all your Apple devices.

**Highlights:** Note Lifetime reminders, Collaborative writing, Publish notes as websites, Todo lists sync with Calendar, Beautiful formatting, Sync across Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Minimal Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Minimal Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| Minimal Family Plan | $79.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent note-taking app
- 👍 Beautiful and simple design
- 🚀 Seamless syncing across devices
- 👍 Customizable appearance and formatting
- 🚀 Responsive and helpful developer

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Lack of password protection or locking for notes
- 💰 Expensive subscription model

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when using certain formatting or pasting content
- Syncing issues between iOS and macOS versions
- Incompatibility with older macOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add ability to insert images or attachments
- Improve iCloud sync reliability
- Implement a folder-based organization system
- Add a word/character count feature


### NotePlan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteplan-to-do-list-and-notes/id1505432629)

Organize your tasks, notes, and calendar in one unified app. Quickly plan your day with Markdown, link notes bi-directionally, and stay on top of your to-dos with powerful review and search features. Seamlessly integrates with your existing calendars and syncs across all your Apple devices.

**Highlights:** Unified task, note, and calendar view, Markdown for quick task and note creation, Bi-directional note linking, Calendar integration (iCloud, Google, Exchange), Flexible recurring tasks, Global Command Bar for fast navigation, Plaintext note storage

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

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Personal Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Personal Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Personal Monthly | $11.99 | per month |
| Personal Monthly | $12.00 | per month |
| Personal Annual | $59.99 | per year |
| Personal Annual | $99.99 | per year |
| Personal Annual | $119.99 | per year |
| Business Class | $199.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful note-taking and task management
- 👍 Seamless calendar and reminders integration
- 💡 Flexible and customizable workflow
- 🔒 Secure and open-format data storage
- 👍 Responsive and helpful developer

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🐛 Occasional sync and performance issues
- 👤 Limited collaboration and sharing features

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent sync between devices
- Crashes when opening certain files

**Requested features**

- Improved iPad and mobile app experience
- Better integration with other productivity apps
- More automation and scripting capabilities
- Weekly or monthly calendar view


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Minimal | Notes free?

Minimal | Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is NotePlan free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Minimal | Notes or NotePlan?

NotePlan is rated higher. Minimal | Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 297 ratings, while NotePlan averages 4.8 from 1.5K ratings.

### Do Minimal | Notes or NotePlan have ads?

Neither Minimal | Notes nor NotePlan shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Minimal | Notes or NotePlan?

Minimal | Notes ships an update monthly, and NotePlan monthly. Most recently, Minimal | Notes was updated on October 24, 2026 and NotePlan on October 27, 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.*