# Simple Notes vs PPNote

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Simple Notes at 88% against PPNote's 40%. Simple Notes also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.5) and ratings volume (790 vs 2). PPNote's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Simple Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and PPNote sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Simple Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. 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 40% of PPNote's.

Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, PPNote every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Simple Notes | PPNote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (790 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-notes-notepad-manager/id1457937396/reviews)** | [3.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ppnote-note-and-bookmark-links/id1569263108/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **790** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **87.5% of reviews** | 40.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 206 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Komorebi Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/481596469) | [金鹏 王](https://appshunter.io/developer/981158013) |

## 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


### PPNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ppnote-note-and-bookmark-links/id1569263108)

Organize your thoughts and web links efficiently. Collect information from other apps, create custom notes with categories and subcategories, and easily manage your content with favorite and hidden options. Streamline your workflow with quick actions for moving and tagging notes.

**Highlights:** Collect notes and links from other apps, Automatic categorization by URL, Manual note creation with categories/subcategories, Favorite and hide notes, Quick actions for moving and tagging, Organize with categories, subcategories, and tags

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| More Features | $1.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Simple Notes free?

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

### Is PPNote free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Simple Notes or PPNote?

Simple Notes is rated higher. Simple Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 790 ratings, while PPNote averages 3.5 from 2 ratings.

### Do Simple Notes or PPNote have ads?

Simple Notes shows ads; PPNote does not.

### Which is updated more often, Simple Notes or PPNote?

Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, and PPNote every 7 months. Most recently, Simple Notes was updated on September 28, 2026 and PPNote on September 25, 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.*