Simple Notes vs OneDiary
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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
OneDiary
Read full descriptionHide full description
OneDiary · Listen to Your Inner World A cross-platform multimedia diary designed for lifelong journaling Capture every moment. Let your memories leave a trace. keywords: Local-first + Data ownership + Multimedia depth --- Write Naturally · Simple and Effortless Start instantly No registration required. Works offline. Local-first storage with automatic saving — your thoughts are never lost. Multiple writing modes Standard editor, Daily entry mode, Rich text, and Markdown — choose what fits your style. True multimedia journaling Add text (Rich Text / Markdown), photos, live photos, videos, audio, documents, and links between entries. Voice-to-text, mixed layouts, and grid photo display make your memories more vivid. Smart memory capture Automatically records time, location, and weather. When inserting photos, the app can read the original capture time and location and, with your confirmation, update the entry to reflect the real moment it happened. AI chat content can be saved directly as a diary entry. Designed for real life Chat-style journaling with automatic daily grouping Quick entry from home screen shortcuts Backdate entries to fill in missed days --- Secure & Organized · Built for Long-Term Use Privacy first Passcode & biometric lock Offline backup and encrypted data transfer Personalization 42 theme colors + dark mode More than 100 online custom fonts Templates and customizable tags (with auto-tagging support) Smart organization Filter by photos, videos, audio, tags, or notebooks Powerful search by keywords, date range (calendar view), or map Statistics including streaks, heatmaps, media counts, and storage usage Pin important entries for quick access Data Ownership & Portability Sync with major cloud services (Google Drive, WebDAV, OneDrive, Dropbox, etc.) Import from Day One with ease Batch export to PDF or Markdown for long-term archiving or printing Your data belongs to you — not to a platform. --- Revisit the Past · Reflect and Grow “On This Day” memories Timeline and calendar views Map view of your life journey Favorites and comments for reflection Creative output Export long images, PDF, or Markdown Face-to-face diary exchange with friends and family Scan and import handwritten journals with AI AI-Enhanced Memory AI summaries, translation, and insights AI-generated illustrations for your entries Image-to-Diary, AI Guided Diary Designed for a Lifetime Build a lasting journaling habit with reminders and seamless multi-platform access. More than a diary — it also works as a lightweight notebook and memo tool. Years from now, you can open it and see the full story of yourself. [Automatic Renewal Member Instructions] 1. Pro-user benefits: insert videos and audio into diary entity, export diary as PDF or Markdown, unlimited backup and synchronization of data, customized themes, and other advanced features. 2. Subscription period: 0.99$ per month (continuous monthly subscription), 9.99$ per year (continuous annual subscription). 3. Payment: After the user confirms the purchase and makes the payment, it will be credited to their iTunes account. 4. Cancel Renewal: To cancel the renewal, please manually turn off the automatic renewal feature in iTunes/Apple ID settings management 24 hours before the current subscription cycle expires. 5. Renewal: The Apple iTunes account will be charged within 24 hours before its expiration. After successful deduction, the subscription cycle will be extended by one subscription cycle. 6. Privacy Policy: https://onediary.net/privacy-policy/ 7. Terms of Use: https://onediary.net/membership-service-agreement/ 8. Automatic renewal service Terms: https://onediary.net/automatic-renewal-service-agreement/ Website: https://app.onediary.net/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: OneDiary at none against Simple Notes's shown. OneDiary also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Simple Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and OneDiary sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, OneDiary monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Simple Notes | OneDiary |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (790 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 87.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 790 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 206 MB | 241 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Komorebi Inc. | OneDiary (Dongguan) Technology Co., Ltd |
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
OneDiary
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Simple Notes
- Premium (Monthly)$4.991 Month
- Premium (Annual)7 Days trial$14.991 Year
- Premium Service$39.99
OneDiary
- OneDiary Pro Monthly$0.991 Month
- Pro Member Yearly$9.991 Year
- One month of OneDiary Pro$0.99
- OneDiary Pro Permanently$29.99









