# Simple Notes vs Character Count Note

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Simple Notes at 790 against Character Count Note's 2. Character Count Note's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Simple Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Character Count Note sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Character Count Note holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Notes has 790 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of Simple Notes's written reviews are positive against 100% of Character Count Note's.

Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, Character Count Note every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Simple Notes | Character Count Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (790 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-notes-notepad-manager/id1457937396/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/character-count-note/id1487446816/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **790** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 87.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 206 MB | 12 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Komorebi Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/481596469) | [Foodmenu.world Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1438351063) |

## What reviewers say

### Simple Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-notes-notepad-manager/id1457937396)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium (Annual) | $14.99 | per year |
| Premium Service | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- No local PC backup and restore feature
- UI looks outdated and childish

**Requested features**

- 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


### Character Count Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/character-count-note/id1487446816)

This app offers advanced note-taking and to-do list functionalities with features like auto-save, character counting, and flashcard creation. It supports HTML insertion, dual-screen mode for web browsing while editing, and quick input of frequently used text.

**Highlights:** Auto-saving memos, Customizable character counting, Search, replace, and text-to-speech, Tag management and password protection, Flashcard creation and review, Dual-screen editing mode, HTML insertion

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Get 100 coin | $0.99 | one-time |
| Get600coins | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Simple Notes free?

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

### Is Character Count Note free?

Character Count Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Simple Notes or Character Count Note?

Character Count Note is rated higher. Simple Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 790 ratings, while Character Count Note averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Simple Notes or Character Count Note have ads?

Both Simple Notes and Character Count Note show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Simple Notes or Character Count Note?

Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, and Character Count Note every 5 weeks. Most recently, Simple Notes was updated on September 23, 2026 and Character Count Note on September 9, 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.*