Comparison

Simple Notes vs Appnote

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

Appnote

Organize your thoughts with a beautiful and functional notepad. Create an unlimited number of notes and folders, format text, and enrich entries with media. Secure your data with password protection and cloud sync.

Highlights
  • Unlimited folders and notes
  • Rich text formatting
  • Add images, videos, PDFs, and links
  • Quick undo and pin notes
  • Instant search
  • Cloud sync and backup
  • Password and biometric protection
Features
Read full description

Appnote—your unique style in the world of notebooks. Every note becomes a story, and every idea comes to life in an elegant interface. Appnote is designed to bring your creative thoughts to life and organize them. Here, even mundane notes become works of art. UNLIMITED CREATIVITY Create an unlimited number of folders and notes—your ideas know no bounds. Nest folders, build your own structure, and find what you need with a single tap. And if you've already created the content, add it in its entirety. PDFs, DOCX files, and images become full-fledged entries in the list: with a thumbnail preview, their own name, and instant viewing, without any extra steps. TEXT THE WAY YOU WANT A full-fledged rich text editor right in your pocket: • fonts, sizes, styles, and colors—highlight what's important the way you want; • Bulleted and numbered lists, as well as to-do lists with checkboxes that are easy to mark; • Hyperlinks, horizontal lines, and quick formatting clearing; • Instant undo – made a mistake? Just redo it; • Read-only mode to avoid accidentally editing a completed note. Links in the text work just like real ones: one tap and you're on the desired page. And if you prefer a more relaxed editing experience, tap-to-click navigation can be disabled in the settings. BRING YOUR NOTES TO LIFE Add images, videos, PDFs, and DOCX documents, and insert images directly from the clipboard. View attachments in the built-in gallery, maximize them to full screen, save them to your device, or open them in your favorite external app. Edited a file in another program? Appnote will notice the changes and offer to replace the original file or place the new version nearby. EVERYTHING AT YOUR FINGERTIPS • Favorites — the most important notes always come first. • Recent — quickly return to what you were just working on. • Instantly search all notes and search within an open note to jump to the desired section. • Sort by alphabetical order, creation date, modification date, or custom order. TASK Deleted notes no longer disappear without a trace. They are sent to the Trash, from where you can restore them with a single tap or permanently delete them. You choose the retention period — from "delete immediately" to any number of days. EASY SHARING • Send notes, images, and documents to other apps using "Share." • Save a note as a file — plain text or HTML, preserving styles and attached media files. • Forward a note as a single .appnote file—including all attachments—and import it back on another device in one step. • Receive text, images, videos, and PDFs from other apps: Appnote will ask whether to create a new note or append to an existing one. FULLY PERSONALIZED Appnote adapts to you, not the other way around: • Light and dark themes, background wallpaper, text colors, note backgrounds, and list card colors; • Number of columns and font size in the note list; • Custom icons for notes and folders—to the left or above the title, with a caption consisting of the first letters of the title on the ruled lines; • Indents, default image size, autosave, and other little touches that make your experience more convenient. SECURITY AND RELIABILITY • Password protection and biometric login. • Auto-lock when minimized—immediately, after a set number of minutes, or never. • Backup to a local folder, iCloud, or the cloud—with detailed statistics by file type. • Sync with Google Drive: notes, attachments, and settings are always up to date across all your devices. WHEREVER YOU WORK Appnote speaks 16 languages, including right-to-left languages, and works on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. Dive into the world of Appnote—an app where style, convenience, and security come together in one exceptional product. Never lose your ideas again: they're always at your fingertips. Terms of Use: http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/appstore/dev/stdeula

Screenshots

Simple Notes4 screens
Appnote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Simple Notes at 4.7 against Appnote's 3.7. Simple Notes also leads on ratings volume (791 vs 3). Appnote's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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. Appnote asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Simple Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Notes has 791 ratings behind it against 3, 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 85% of Appnote's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, Appnote every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 11, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Simple Notes versus Appnote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple NotesAppnote
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (791 ratings) — better3.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews87.2% of reviews — better85.2% of reviews
Number of ratings791 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size216 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKomorebi Inc.Vladimir Gorkov

Customer experience

Simple Notes

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

Appnote

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive85.2%
Neutral3.7%
Negative11.1%

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

Appnote

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
None

Appnote

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Simple Notes free?
Simple Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Appnote free?
Appnote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Simple Notes or Appnote?
Simple Notes is rated higher. Simple Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 791 ratings, while Appnote averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Simple Notes or Appnote have ads?
Simple Notes shows ads; Appnote does not.
Which is updated more often, Simple Notes or Appnote?
Simple Notes ships an update every 3 months, and Appnote every 2 months. Most recently, Simple Notes was updated on October 11, 2026 and Appnote on October 11, 2026.

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