Comparison

Simple Notes vs JotNotes

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 helps you easily write, organize, and find notes. Attach images, use color-coded folders, and sort notes by date or title. Protect your entries with a passcode and customize the look with themes and fonts.

Highlights
  • Attach photos to notes
  • Organize with color-coded folders
  • View notes by date in calendar
  • Protect notes with passcode lock
  • Export notes as PDF or image
  • Home and Lock Screen widgets
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 inside notes or audio recording (write on exported images and PDFs) [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

JotNotes

Capture notes, ideas, and goals effortlessly with this streamlined application. Organize your thoughts using color-coded boards for easy retrieval in any aspect of your life.

Highlights
  • Clutter-free interface
  • Organized notes
  • Color-coded boards
  • Easy to find notes
  • Capture ideas and goals
Features
Read full description

JotNotes is a simple notepad for everyday notes, ideas, and things to remember. Organize your notes by topic and find them with search. WRITE NOTES Capture a thought, a meeting note, or a shopping list. Your edits are saved automatically. ORGANIZE BY TOPIC Group notes into boards for work, study, projects, or personal use. Choose a color and add an optional description for each board. USE HOME SCREEN WIDGETS View recent notes or open a selected board directly from your Home Screen. FIND AND SHARE Search note text, board names, and descriptions. Share a note with other apps. SYNC WITH ICLOUD Keep your notes and boards in sync across iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

Simple Notes4 screens
JotNotes2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: JotNotes at none against Simple Notes's shown. JotNotes also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months). Simple Notes's advantage is ratings volume (790 vs 3) and review sentiment (87% vs 67%). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 JotNotes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 4.7 for JotNotes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Notes has 790 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of Simple Notes's written reviews are positive against 67% of JotNotes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, JotNotes every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Simple Notes versus JotNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple NotesJotNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (790 ratings) — better4.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews87.2% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings790 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size215 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKomorebi Inc.Igor Rusinov

Customer experience

Simple Notes

All ratings790 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral3.0%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews125 reviews
Positive87.2%
Neutral5.6%
Negative7.2%

JotNotes

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

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

JotNotes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
1 purchases

JotNotes

One-time1
  • Unlock Full App$0.99

Questions

Is Simple Notes free?
Simple Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is JotNotes free?
JotNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Simple Notes or JotNotes?
Simple Notes is rated higher. Simple Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 790 ratings, while JotNotes averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Simple Notes or JotNotes have ads?
Simple Notes shows ads; JotNotes does not.
Which is updated more often, Simple Notes or JotNotes?
Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, and JotNotes every 3 days. Most recently, Simple Notes was updated on November 2, 2026 and JotNotes on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons