Plain Note vs BasicNotesApp
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Plain Note
A straightforward, text-only notepad for quickly capturing thoughts, memos, and drafts. Organize notes with customizable tags and access them easily via home and lock screen widgets. Offers optional iCloud sync and extensive customization through in-app purchases.
- Text-only note-taking
- Customizable tags with icons
- Lock screen and home screen widgets
- Character and line count
- Note archiving and organization
- Theme, icon, and font customization
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Plain Note is a simple, text-only notes app that makes it easy to capture ideas, jot down everyday notes, and draft social media posts and emails. No ads. No sign-up required. Notes are stored on your device and, if you use iCloud sync, in your own iCloud account as well. The developer does not collect the contents of your notes. It's a good fit for people who want to jot things down and quickly refer back to them, rather than use a notes app with lots of features. You can organize your notes by adding tags, and it supports lock screen and home screen widgets. It can be used on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Features • You can categorize your notes with tags. • Customize tag icons and colors. • You can count the number of characters and lines. • Archive and organize your notes. • Widgets can be added to the lock screen and home screen. • Customize themes, app icons, and fonts. (Some features are available for a fee.) Premium (in-app purchase) • Sync data across iPhone, iPad, and Mac via iCloud. • All themes and app icons are available. • All tag icons are available. • All font customizations are available. *Prices may vary by country or region. Please check in the app. *Some features may not be available in all languages or regions. Terms of Use: https://monelyze.app/en/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://monelyze.app/en/privacy
BasicNotesApp
Organize your thoughts and ideas with a simple note-taking application. Create individual notes and group them into custom folders for easy retrieval. Streamline your workflow and keep your information tidy.
- Create notes
- Create folders
- Organize notes
- Simple interface
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Create notes and folders.
Screenshots
Verdict
Plain Note and BasicNotesApp both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of BasicNotesApp's written reviews are positive against 63% of Plain Note's. BasicNotesApp also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.2 vs 26.0). Plain Note's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 35 months) and ratings volume (1.1K vs 3). On price, rating, ads 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. Plain Note sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. BasicNotesApp asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Plain Note against 4.7 for BasicNotesApp. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plain Note has 1.1K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Plain Note's written reviews are positive against 100% of BasicNotesApp's.
Plain Note ships an update every 9 days, BasicNotesApp every 35 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | Plain Note | BasicNotesApp |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (1.1K ratings) | 4.7 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 35 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 0 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Monelyze Inc. | Peter Roach |
Customer experience
Plain Note
BasicNotesApp
Bugs and requests
Plain Note
Reported bugs
2 issues- Notes sometimes get deleted after updates
- Widget not working as expected, showing wrong note
Requested features
7 requests- Ability to swipe widget to display another note
- Subfolders for better organization
- Export function to backup notes
- Option to change app colors
- Support for multiple notes in one widget
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- Text formatting options (bold, italics, headings)
- Ability to insert photos and videos
BasicNotesApp
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Plain Note
- Premium - Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Premium - Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Premium - Lifetime$29.99
BasicNotesApp
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Plain Note free?
Is BasicNotesApp free?
Which has better reviews, Plain Note or BasicNotesApp?
Do Plain Note or BasicNotesApp have ads?
Which is updated more often, Plain Note or BasicNotesApp?
Other comparisons
