Comparison

Simple Notes vs DMS Notes

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 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
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

DMS Notes

Features
Read full description

Pay once - no in app purchases or subscriptions. Data Management Systems (DMS) Notes brings the clarity of a professional document register to everyday notes and reminders. Every note, folder and section is numbered automatically — 1, 1.1, 1.2.1 — so your ideas stay ordered, searchable and easy to reference. Capture a thought in seconds, then organise it into a clean hierarchy of folders, sections and subsections. Reorder anything and the numbering updates instantly. ORGANISE LIKE A PRO • Folders → Sections → Subsections → Notes • Automatic DMS-style numbering, generated from your structure • Drag to reorder — references re-number instantly • Two ways to browse: drill-down Folders or a fully expanded Outline NINE NUMBERING STYLES Pick the style that fits your work: • Numeric (1, 1.1, 1.2.1) — ISO 2145 decimal • Leading Zero (01, 01.01) — sortable filing codes • Letter Decimal (A, A.01) and Letter Only (A, A.B) • Roman (I, I.1) — parts & front matter • Legal Outline (I, A, 1, a, i) — contracts, policies & minutes • Bullets and Dashes • Custom Prefix (SOP-001, QMS-014.02) — ISO 9001 document control NOTES THAT DO MORE • Rich text — bold, italic, underline and bullets • Built-in checklists you can tick off • Custom tags with suggestions, fully searchable • Colour labels, priorities and pinning REMINDERS & DUE DATES • Add due dates and reminders to notes, sections and folders • Today, Upcoming and Overdue at a glance • Local notifications that include the DMS reference SHARE & EXPORT • Export any project, folder or section as a clean, nested PDF checklist • Share as an image or plain text too FIND ANYTHING • Search across titles, body text, tags, references and locations • Pinned, Completed, Archived and Trash views • An audit log of every change, with date and time PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Syncs across iPhone and iPad with iCloud (CloudKit) • Your notes live in your private iCloud — we never see them • No account, no ads, no tracking • Works fully offline Beautifully designed for iPhone and iPad, with an adaptive iPad sidebar, light and dark mode, haptics and a fast, uncluttered interface. Bring order to your notes. Try DMS Notes today.

Screenshots

Simple Notes4 screens
DMS Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Simple Notes at Free against DMS Notes's $3.99. Simple Notes also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). DMS Notes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Simple Notes is free to download; DMS Notes costs $3.99 up front. Simple Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. DMS Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Simple Notes versus DMS Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple NotesDMS Notes
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating4.7 (790 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews87.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings790 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 months—
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size215 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKomorebi Inc.Steven Wilkinson

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

DMS Notes

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

DMS Notes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Simple Notes free?
Simple Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DMS Notes free?
DMS Notes costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Simple Notes or DMS Notes have ads?
Simple Notes shows ads; DMS Notes does not.

Other comparisons