Comparison

Simple Notes vs Syncly

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 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

Syncly

Easily share notes, photos, and calendars with groups of any size. Organize information with custom folders and ensure data safety with a backup function. Ideal for families, couples, or professional teams needing synchronized information.

Highlights
  • Share notes and memos
  • Synchronized calendar sharing
  • Paste photos and images
  • Customizable folders
  • Backup function
  • Unlimited group members
Features
Read full description

Syncly is a shared notes app and shared calendar for families, couples, roommates and friends. Keep one shopping list, one to-do list and one set of plans in a group, and everyone sees every change right away. SIRI: ADD TO THE SHOPPING LIST BY VOICE Say "Hey Siri, add with Syncly", then say "onions and carrots". Both items are added to your shared shopping list. Your hands stay free while you cook or drive home. - Items are split at the word "and", so one sentence can add several things - Choose which note receives the items with a group and a keyword in the note's first line, for example "shopping list" - Works on iOS 16 or later SHARED NOTES, EDITED TOGETHER - Everyone in the group sees the same note and can write in it at the same time - See who has the note open right now - If two people edit at once, the changes are merged line by line, so what you wrote is not lost - Attach photos and images to a note - Organize notes in folders, change their order, and find them with search - Deleted notes can be restored for 30 days SHARED GROUP CALENDAR - One calendar for the whole group - Repeating events: weekly, every 2 weeks, monthly or yearly - Categories with their own color and icon - Holidays for Japan and the US are built in, and you can add your own - Import events from your iPhone calendar - The Home Screen widget shows today's and tomorrow's events (Premium) - Time zone support, so you can plan with family or friends abroad - Start the week on Monday, and adjust text size and cell height UNLIMITED GROUPS, UNLIMITED MEMBERS - Make separate groups for family, partner, friends, roommates and work - There is no limit on the number of members - Invite people by sending an invite link: just tap it to join (the invitation code still works too) - Works between iPhone and Android - You can also use Syncly alone, as a personal notepad and planner IDEAS FOR USE - Share a shopping list with your partner and avoid forgotten or double purchases - Share children's activities and school events with the family - Plan dates and keep a list of places you want to visit as a couple - Split chores with roommates using a shared to-do list - Share schedules and notes with a team, club or group of friends YOUR DATA IS SAFE WHEN YOU CHANGE PHONES Notes and calendars are stored in the cloud. Log in on a new phone and everything is there. A web version is also available in your browser. MAKE IT YOURS Dark mode, title bar colors, fonts, font size and line height can all be changed. PREMIUM (IN-APP PURCHASE) - Removes all ads, including on the calendar screen - Unlocks more than 25 color designs - Home Screen widget showing today's and tomorrow's events - Insert photos anywhere in a note

Screenshots

Simple Notes4 screens
Syncly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Simple Notes at 4.7 against Syncly's 4.0. Simple Notes also leads on review sentiment (87% vs 53%) and ratings volume (790 vs 1). Syncly's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads, 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 Syncly 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

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. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Simple Notes's written reviews are positive against 53% of Syncly's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, Syncly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Simple Notes versus Syncly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple NotesSyncly
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (790 ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews87.2% of reviews — better53.3% of reviews
Number of ratings790 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size216 MB77 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperKomorebi Inc.Syncly Applications

Customer experience

Simple Notes

All ratings791 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral3.2%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews125 reviews
Positive87.2%
Neutral5.6%
Negative7.2%

Syncly

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews15 reviews
Positive53.3%
Neutral6.7%
Negative40.0%

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

Syncly

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

Syncly

One-time1
  • Paid Service(Outright)$0.99

Questions

Is Simple Notes free?
Simple Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Syncly free?
Syncly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Simple Notes or Syncly?
Simple Notes is rated higher. Simple Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 790 ratings, while Syncly averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Simple Notes or Syncly have ads?
Both Simple Notes and Syncly show ads.
Which is updated more often, Simple Notes or Syncly?
Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, and Syncly every 2 weeks. Most recently, Simple Notes was updated on October 25, 2026 and Syncly on October 24, 2026.

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