Comparison

Note! vs Paper

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

Head to head
About

Note!

This app offers a minimalist approach to note-taking, focusing on speed and simplicity. It allows for quick plain text entries, organized by modification date, with options for text resizing and passcode protection for privacy.

Highlights
  • Quick plain text notes
  • Sorted by latest modified
  • Pinch to zoom text size
  • Set passcode to lock notes
Features
Read full description

Nothing more, nothing less. Designed to be as minimal as possible for quick plain text notes. + Sorted by latest modified + Pinch to zoom/change text size + Set a passcode to lock your notes

About

Paper

Capture, organize, and sync your thoughts with a smart note-taking app. Features include rich formatting, AI summarization, and secure encryption across all your devices. Ideal for students, professionals, and anyone seeking enhanced productivity.

Highlights
  • Customizable notebooks
  • Military-grade encryption
  • Smart search
  • Rich formatting (images, sketches)
  • AI note summarization
  • Voice-to-text capture
  • Cross-device sync
Features
Read full description

Paper is the simplest way to take notes, capture ideas, and stay organized. This free note taking app brings text notes, voice notes, checklists, and smart reminders together in one clean, fast and private space. TAKE NOTES YOUR WAY • Write text notes, record voice notes, and add images, drawings and math equations • Turn any note into a checklist or to-do list with deadlines and recurring reminders • Jot down memos and ideas on the go, wherever you are STAY ORGANIZED • Organize notes with notebooks, tags and pinned notes • Search everything instantly and filter by tag • Sync your notes across phone, tablet and computer • Use it as a journal, a memo pad, or your daily planner SMART AI ASSISTANT • Summarize long notes in one tap • Translate your notes into any language • Auto-tag and structure your notes automatically PRIVATE & SECURE • Notes are end-to-end encrypted • Secret Garden: a password-protected space for your most personal notes • No ads, no tracking: a private notes app you can trust SHARE EASILY • Share notes as a link, Markdown, or HTML • Collaborate on notes in real time with friends and teammates Paper Premium unlocks unlimited notebooks, automatic voice to text transcription, AI features, unlimited recurring reminders, and real-time collaboration. Download Paper now, the free notes app with AI, voice notes, checklists and full privacy. What's new: • Completely redesigned app: navigation now uses a bottom tab bar • Create notes with your voice • Notes sharing has been rebuilt and is now much more reliable • Fresh new UI across the entire app for a smoother experience • AI features have been improved and stabilized https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Note!4 screens
Paper4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Paper at 100% against Note!'s 61%. Paper also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 13 months). Note!'s advantage is ratings volume (1K vs 2). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Note! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Paper sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Paper holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Note! has 1K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of Note!'s written reviews are positive against 100% of Paper's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Note! ships an update every 13 months, Paper fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Note! versus Paper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNote!Paper
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 13 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB77 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRIEU LimitedSteve NOSSE

Customer experience

Note!

All ratings1,045 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral4.3%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews77 reviews
Positive61.0%
Neutral7.8%
Negative31.2%

Paper

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Note!

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Ads disrupt note-taking experience
  • Inability to delete old notes
  • Lack of printing functionality

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add iCloud sync and backup
  • Implement a paid, ad-free version
  • Allow for note organization and sorting
  • Improve text formatting and editing capabilities

Paper

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Note!

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$3.99
3 purchases

Paper

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium$1.991 Month
  • Yearly premium$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime access$9.99

Questions

Is Note! free?
Note! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Paper free?
Paper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Note! or Paper?
Paper is rated higher. Note! averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while Paper averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Note! or Paper have ads?
Note! shows ads; Paper does not.
Which is updated more often, Note! or Paper?
Note! ships an update every 13 months, and Paper fortnightly. Most recently, Note! was updated on October 11, 2026 and Paper on October 1, 2026.

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