# Simple Notes vs BoardNotes

The clearest difference is update cadence: BoardNotes at every 2 weeks against Simple Notes's every 3 months. Simple Notes's advantage is ratings volume (790 vs 116). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Simple Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and BoardNotes sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Simple Notes against 4.7 for BoardNotes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Notes has 790 ratings behind it against 116, 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 80% of BoardNotes's.

Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, BoardNotes every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Simple Notes | BoardNotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (790 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-notes-notepad-manager/id1457937396/reviews)** | [4.7 (116 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boardnotes-notes-pdf-docs/id6448847544/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **790** | 116 |
| Positive reviews | **87.2% of reviews** | 80.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 215 MB | 342 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Komorebi Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/481596469) | [Chongqing Ouluowa Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1686544790) |

## What reviewers say

### Simple Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-notes-notepad-manager/id1457937396)

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:** 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


### BoardNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boardnotes-notes-pdf-docs/id6448847544)

This app combines note-taking, whiteboarding, PDF management, mind mapping, and flashcards into a single, versatile tool. It offers a rich set of handwriting and drawing features, supports various media types, and includes an intelligent flashcard system for efficient learning.

**Highlights:** Integrated whiteboard, notebook, PDF, mind map, and flashcards, Extensive handwriting pen and brush options, Lasso tool and pixel/object eraser, Whiteboard with media cards and auxiliary tools, Notebooks and PDFs with import/export and page management, Mind mapping with customizable nodes and structures, Spaced repetition flashcards with SuperMemo algorithm

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 5 days membership | $0.99 | one-time |
| Math Formula Recognition | $1.99 | one-time |
| 1 month membership | $1.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $4.99 | one-time |
| 6 months membership | $4.99 | one-time |
| 6 months membership | $6.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $6.99 | one-time |
| Annual Membership | $7.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $7.99 | one-time |
| Permanent Unlock All | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💎 All-in-one app
- 💡 Feature-rich note-taking
- ✍️ Excellent Apple Pencil integration
- 💰 Affordable one-time purchase
- 🚀 Smooth performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🔥 Device gets hot
- 🐛 Data loss (whiteboards erased)
- 🚫 No automatic backup
- 🔍 Limited search functions

**Reported bugs**

- Whiteboards erasing automatically
- No automatic backup leading to data loss
- Syncing issues between iPad and Mac
- Pencil tip not appearing on PDF annotations
- App crashes frequently

**Requested features**

- Sync to Google Drive/other cloud services
- Faster 'add to cards' function
- View carded items in sidebar
- Color coding for pins
- Image opacity adjustment


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Simple Notes free?

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

### Is BoardNotes free?

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

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

Simple Notes is rated higher. Simple Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 790 ratings, while BoardNotes averages 4.7 from 116 ratings.

### Do Simple Notes or BoardNotes have ads?

Both Simple Notes and BoardNotes show ads.

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

Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, and BoardNotes every 2 weeks. Most recently, Simple Notes was updated on November 11, 2026 and BoardNotes on November 7, 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.*