Simple Notes vs KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget
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
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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
KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget
Organize your daily lists, bookkeeping, journaling, and notes with this intuitive application. It offers a multi-color theme and seamless syncing across your Apple devices.
- Daily lists
- Bookkeeping
- Journaling
- Note-taking
- iCloud syncing
- Multi-color themes
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KeepNote brings your lists, budget and notes together in one calm, private app — no account required, no ads, no tracking. LISTS & REMINDERS • Quick to-dos with subtasks, due dates and reminders • Group them into folders that fit the way you work • Pin what matters to the top BOOKKEEPING • Track income and expenses, with sub-entries inside each record • Folders and tags keep months of records tidy • See totals per folder, per tag and per period NOTES • Rich-text notes with checklists, images and drawings • Attach a note to a task or a ledger entry — keep the context together • Search across everything NEW IN 2.6.0 • Home Screen widget — see today's tasks without opening the app • Smoother offline behaviour and a faster, quieter sync BUILT TO LAST • iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad and Mac • Face ID / Touch ID lock • Light and dark appearance, with a choice of card materials • 12 languages: English, 简体中文, 繁體中文, 日本語, 한국어, Deutsch, Français, Italiano, Bahasa Melayu, ไทย, Türkçe, Tiếng Việt • Core features free forever — KeepNote Plus is entirely optional PRIVACY Your data lives in your own iCloud account. We don't run ads, we don't sell data, and we don't operate a server that reads your notes. Privacy policy: https://www.keepnote.host/privacy Questions, bugs or ideas? We read everything — write to us from inside the app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Simple Notes at 4.7 against KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget's 4.0. Simple Notes also leads on ratings volume (790 vs 1). KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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 KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Simple Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Notes has 790 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Simple Notes | KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (790 ratings) — better | 4.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 87.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 790 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 216 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Komorebi Inc. | 荣彬 谢 |
Customer experience
Simple Notes
KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget
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
KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget
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
KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget
- KeepNote VIP$0.991 Month
- KeepNote VIP$9.991 Year
- KeepNote Plus$24.99
Questions
Is Simple Notes free?
Is KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget free?
Which has better reviews, Simple Notes or KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget?
Do Simple Notes or KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget have ads?
Which is updated more often, Simple Notes or KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget?
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