Comparison

Simple Notes vs Noto

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

Head to head
About

Simple Notes

This app offers a clean and efficient way to organize your thoughts and ideas. Easily add images, organize notes into colored folders, and secure your entries with a passcode. Customize the look with various themes and fonts, and back up your data to iCloud.

Highlights
  • Add photos to notes
  • Organize with colored folders
  • Calendar view for notes
  • Passcode and biometric lock
  • Customizable themes and fonts
  • iCloud backup and sync
  • Smart search with tags
Features
Read full description

Simple Notes is an easy-to-use notes app that leaves out the extras, so writing, organizing, and finding notes stay simple. Notes go into color-coded folders, and you can find them using the calendar or photo album. No account or setup is required, and the app works offline. Core features are free. Keep everything in one place, from class notes and work memos to a diary or baby journal. [Features] ■ Add Photos to Notes - Attach images to any note - Insert pictures from your photo library, or take a photo on the spot ■ Folder Organization - Create folders to keep your notes organized - Choose from 24 folder colors to tell categories apart at a glance ■ Calendar View - View notes by date using the built-in calendar - Tap any date to see notes for that date — perfect for locating past entries ■ Photo Album - Browse all images added to notes in one place - Tap a photo to jump to its note ■ Home Screen & Lock Screen Widgets - Keep a note on your Home Screen like a sticky note — no need to open the app - Lock Screen widgets let you see a note without unlocking your iPhone - Choose which note to display and its text size *Widgets are part of the Premium Service* ■ Sort Notes & Bullet Lists - Sort by note date, date edited, date created, or title, ascending or descending - Bullet lists make it easy to write shopping and packing lists ■ Passcode Lock - Protect your notes with a passcode - Supports Face ID and Touch ID for quick and secure access ■ Font Styles - Choose from 12 font styles - Choose a playful, elegant, or professional look for your notes ■ Themes and App Icons - Pick from 23 theme colors and matching app icons - Customize the look of the app and even the Home Screen icon ■ Full-Note Image & PDF - Turn an entire note, even a long one with photos, into a single image to share - Export notes as PDFs for work or school ■ Data Backup & Export - Back up your notes to iCloud or export them to your computer - Hand exported notes to AI apps for summaries, or save them to Notion or Google Drive - Export formats: HTML (for Windows), RTFD (for Mac, keeps images), PDF, and TXT *Data export and iCloud backup are part of the Premium Service; notes are also included in your iPhone’s device backup* ■ iCloud Sync - Use iCloud to sync notes across your iPhone and iPad (Premium Service) - Restore your notes on a new device if yours is lost or broken ■ Smart Search - Use the built-in search to quickly find notes - Add text tags like “#Important” to make key notes easier to locate ■ Character Count - Check the character count as you write reports, essays, or fiction - Each note can hold up to 100,000 characters ■ Text Display Settings - Adjust text size, contrast, and line spacing - Ideal if you prefer larger text or need better readability - Dark Mode is supported for nighttime use ■ Remove Ads - The Premium Service hides all ads - Enjoy a clean, distraction-free screen for your notes [Great For] - Students: class and lecture notes with photos, one folder per course — export notes as PDF or text and hand them to AI apps for exam prep - Parents: a baby journal with photos, growth records, and family memos in folders - Work: meeting notes, ideas, and memos in one place — tap the mic on the iOS keyboard to dictate notes, handy for transcripts and meeting minutes - Writers: novels, blog drafts, and reports — live character count and PDF sharing [Good to Know] - Works on iPhone and iPad (iOS/iPadOS 14 or later) - Works offline — create and view notes even in Airplane Mode - No handwriting or audio recording — the focus is simple text-and-photo notes [Help & Contact] - For help, go to “Help / FAQ” in the app settings - If you still have questions, tap “Contact Us” on the help screen - For faster support, contact us through the app rather than leaving an App Store review 【Terms of Service】 https://komorebi-studio.com/tos_en.html 【Privacy Policy】 https://komorebi-studio.com/policyredirect.html

About

Noto

A modern writing and note-taking application offering powerful text editing tools and extensive organization features. It supports unlimited attachments and various export formats, with optional Pro features for enhanced functionality. Syncs seamlessly across devices.

Highlights
  • Powerful text editing tools
  • Unlimited attachments (Pro)
  • Dark mode
  • iCloud sync
  • Gesture organization
  • Multiple export formats
  • Desktop-class organization
Features
Read full description

Features: - Powerful text editing tools - Bold / Italic / Underline / Strikethrough / Highlight - Number list / Bullet list / Check list - Unlimited attachments (Pro): - Image / Video / Scan / Drawing / File - Table / Block quote / Code / Math Equation - Dark mode - iCloud sync - Organize with gesture - Export to HTML, Markdown, PDF, & JPG - Lock notes (Pro) - Desktop class organization - Drag to reorder your list and paragraph - Drag to organize your notes - Rapid multi select Noto is free to use, including iCloud Sync support. Unlock Noto Pro to enable all features including * Attachments * Note lock * Export * Support future Noto development Terms and Conditions: https://noto.ink/terms Privacy Policy: https://noto.ink/privacy

Screenshots

Simple Notes4 screens
Noto4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Noto at none against Simple Notes's shown. Noto also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 3 months). Simple Notes's advantage is review sentiment (88% vs 68%). On price, rating, ratings volume and in-app purchases 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. Simple Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Noto sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Simple Notes against 4.6 for Noto. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 790 and 1.3K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Simple Notes's written reviews are positive against 68% of Noto's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, Noto every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Simple Notes versus Noto: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple NotesNoto
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (790 ratings) — better4.6 (1.3K ratings)
Positive reviews87.5% of reviews — better68.3% of reviews
Number of ratings7901.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 4 weeks — 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
Size206 MB87 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKomorebi Inc.Soysauce Lab

Customer experience

Simple Notes

All ratings790 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral3.2%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews120 reviews
Positive87.5%
Neutral5.8%
Negative6.7%

Noto

All ratings1,292 ratings
Positive90.8%
Neutral3.6%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews350 reviews
Positive68.3%
Neutral14.6%
Negative17.1%

User reviews

Simple Notes

From 790 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 📁 Folder organization and color-coding
  • 🔒 Password protection
  • 💡 Useful for school and work notes
  • 🚀 Fast and responsive

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Lack of iCloud sync
  • 📐 Limited formatting options (no bold, italics, etc.)
  • 🎨 Default folder color cannot be changed
  • 🔍 No alphabetical sorting for folders

Noto

From 1.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth and fast
  • 👍 Clean and intuitive UI
  • 🎨 Customizable folders and colors
  • 📁 Excellent organization and hierarchy
  • 💻 Works well across devices

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and sync issues
  • 🔒 Limited free features, requires subscription
  • 📁 Difficulty moving/organizing folders and notes
  • 🖌️ Lack of font/text customization options
  • 🔍 Poor search functionality

Bugs and requests

Simple Notes

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • No local PC backup and restore feature
  • UI looks outdated and childish

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add ability to pin notes at the top of a folder
  • Implement iCloud sync between devices
  • Introduce more text formatting options (bold, italics, underline, etc.)
  • Allow changing folder colors

Noto

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Syncing issues between devices
  • Folders and notes disappearing after updates
  • Crashes when trying to access certain folders
  • Widgets not displaying note content properly

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add tags or keywords for better organization
  • Improve table editing and formatting
  • Implement better export options (PDF, HTML, etc.)
  • Add support for Apple Pencil and handwriting
  • Integrate calendar and reminder features
Show 1 more
  • Allow custom backgrounds and themes

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Simple Notes

Subscriptions2
  • Premium (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Premium (Annual)7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Service$39.99
3 purchases

Noto

Subscriptions2
  • Noto Pro Monthly3 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Noto Pro Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Noto Lifetime$24.99

Questions

Is Simple Notes free?
Simple Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Noto free?
Noto is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Simple Notes or Noto?
Simple Notes is rated higher. Simple Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 790 ratings, while Noto averages 4.6 from 1.3K ratings.
Do Simple Notes or Noto have ads?
Simple Notes shows ads; Noto does not.
Which is updated more often, Simple Notes or Noto?
Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, and Noto every 4 weeks. Most recently, Simple Notes was updated on September 28, 2026 and Noto on October 1, 2026.

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