Comparison

Simple Notes vs Sticky Notes

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

Sticky Notes

Pin notes and to-do lists directly to your Home and Lock Screens for quick access. Organize tasks, customize backgrounds with colors or photos, and choose from various fonts. Ideal for reminders, class notes, and visualizing goals.

Highlights
  • Pin notes to Home and Lock Screens
  • Organize tasks by category
  • Customize backgrounds with photos
  • Cute font options
  • Character count display
  • Undo/Redo functionality
Features
Read full description

Sticky Notes is a notepad app you can use just like sticky notes. Pin your memos to the Home Screen so you can see them anytime and edit with a single tap. Now with checklists, bullet lists, numbered lists, and headings — organize shopping lists, to-do lists, tasks, and schedules all in one app. We hope you'll give it a try. ■ App highlights - Pin memos to your Home Screen or Lock Screen for instant access anytime - Show a note on the Lock Screen without placing a widget - Manage shopping and packing lists with checklists — tick items right from the widget - Sort memos by purpose to manage to-dos for work or school - Customize the background with colors or photos to make a notepad that's truly yours - Choose cute fonts and freely adjust the text size ■ Organize with lists and headings Keep shopping lists, to-do lists, and packing lists as checklists. Checked items get a strikethrough, so you can see what's left at a glance. - Checklists — tap to tick off, right from your Home Screen widget - Bullet and dash lists — line up tasks and things to buy - Numbered lists — for steps, recipes, anything where order matters - Headings — use Title, Heading, and Subheading to break up longer notes - Everything looks the same on iPhone, iPad, widgets, and Apple Watch ■ Powerful customization - Background of your choice (color, pattern, or photo) - Switch fonts (handwriting-style and cute fonts available) - Adjust text size, line height, and letter spacing - Change text color - Set your own photo as the background ■ Suggested uses - Keep your schedule, to-dos, and tasks in plain sight on the Home Screen - Build a shopping list as a checklist and tick items off at the store - Pack for a trip with a checklist you tick as you go - Lay out steps or recipes as a numbered list - Break long notes into sections with headings ■ Handy memo features - Character count helps you gauge length for social posts or assists with writing - Undo or redo your latest input with a single tap - Copy the memo's contents with one tap - Share memos to other apps or run various actions from the share sheet ■ Show a Note Large on Your Lock Screen Notes you only need to check for a while — like a shopping list or a packing list — are handy to show on the Lock Screen. Just glance at the screen; there’s no need to unlock. Unlike a widget, you don’t have to set aside space in advance. Show the note from the menu when you need it, and end it once you’re done. - Switch by situation: a shopping list while you shop, a packing list while you travel - You can show several notes at the same time - When you edit the note, the Lock Screen updates too - For notes you want to keep visible all the time, a Lock Screen widget is a better fit ■ Fully optimized for iPad - The note screen is optimized for the iPad's larger display - Full support for window resizing. Side by side with another app or scaled down, the layout adapts to the width automatically - Works with Split View, Slide Over, Stage Manager, and windowed apps - Use the whole screen in portrait or landscape - Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets work on iPad too - Keep a note open next to whatever you're reading or looking up ■ Widget types - Memo widget - Memo list widget - Lock Screen-only widget - Apple Watch widget ■ Get more with Premium Upgrade to Premium to keep the simple feel and unlock even handier extras. Benefit 1. All ads removed Benefit 2. Set your own photos as memo backgrounds (use wallpapers from your favorite anime or manga, family photos, anything you love) Benefit 3. The memo list widget becomes available *The one-time Pro plan supports Family Sharing, so when one family member buys it, everyone in the family can use Premium features. ■ Subscription Please review the following for subscription terms: - Privacy Policy: https://rands-app.com/privacy-policy-en/ - Terms of Use: https://rands-app.com/terms-en/

Screenshots

Simple Notes4 screens
Sticky Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Sticky Notes at weekly against Simple Notes's every 3 months. Simple Notes's advantage is review sentiment (88% vs 60%) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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 Sticky Notes sells 7 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Simple Notes against 4.6 for Sticky Notes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 790 and 501 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Simple Notes's written reviews are positive against 60% of Sticky Notes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, Sticky Notes weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Simple Notes versus Sticky Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple NotesSticky Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (790 ratings) — better4.6 (501 ratings)
Positive reviews87.5% of reviews — better60.3% of reviews
Number of ratings790 — better501
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size206 MB221 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKomorebi Inc.Shota Yamashita

Customer experience

Simple Notes

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

Sticky Notes

All ratings501 ratings
Positive89.8%
Neutral5.4%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews151 reviews
Positive60.3%
Neutral10.6%
Negative29.1%

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

Sticky Notes

From 501 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient and easy to use
  • 👍 Customizable backgrounds and fonts
  • 💡 Ability to add notes to home screen
  • 🚀 Lightweight and fast
  • 👍 Helpful for daily tasks and reminders

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 🔍 Lack of search functionality
  • 💸 Paid version required for advanced features
  • 🔒 No iCloud sync or cross-device support
  • 🔍 Confusing instructions, mostly in non-English languages

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

Sticky Notes

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Newly created notes not showing up on home screen
  • Duplicated notes with same content
  • Inability to change default font and background settings
  • Disappearing notes after app updates

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow text formatting (bold, italic, underline)
  • Add checklist/to-do list functionality
  • Implement iCloud sync and cross-device support
  • Provide option to remove app branding from widget
  • Add ability to set reminders/alarms for notes

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
7 purchases

Sticky Notes

Subscriptions3
  • Ad Hiding$1.991 Month
  • Monthly Plan$2.491 Month
  • Yearly Plan$12.991 Year
One-time4
  • Tip$1.00
  • Generous Tip$5.00
  • Greatest Tip$10.00
Show 1 more
  • Lifetime Plan$19.99

Questions

Is Simple Notes free?
Simple Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sticky Notes free?
Sticky Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Simple Notes or Sticky Notes?
Simple Notes is rated higher. Simple Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 790 ratings, while Sticky Notes averages 4.6 from 501 ratings.
Do Simple Notes or Sticky Notes have ads?
Both Simple Notes and Sticky Notes show ads.
Which is updated more often, Simple Notes or Sticky Notes?
Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, and Sticky Notes weekly. Most recently, Simple Notes was updated on September 23, 2026 and Sticky Notes on September 24, 2026.

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