Comparison

Plain Note vs KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Plain Note

This app allows you to create and organize notes with customizable tags and icons. It offers lock screen and home screen widgets for quick access and supports character/line counting. Personalize your experience with themes, app icons, and fonts.

Highlights
  • Organize notes with tags
  • Customizable tag icons and colors
  • Character and line counting
  • Lock screen and home screen widgets
  • Customizable themes, app icons, and fonts
  • Archive and organize notes
Features
Read full description

"Plain Note" is a simple notes app. 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 with iPhone, iPad, and Mac via iCloud. This can also be used as a backup. • 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

About

KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget

Organize your daily lists, bookkeeping, journaling, and notes with this intuitive application. It offers a multi-color theme and seamless syncing across your Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Daily lists
  • Bookkeeping
  • Journaling
  • Note-taking
  • iCloud syncing
  • Multi-color themes
Features
Read full description

KeepNote brings your lists, budget and notes together in one calm, private app — no account required, no ads, no tracking. LISTS & REMINDERS • Quick to-dos with subtasks, due dates and reminders • Group them into folders that fit the way you work • Pin what matters to the top BOOKKEEPING • Track income and expenses, with sub-entries inside each record • Folders and tags keep months of records tidy • See totals per folder, per tag and per period NOTES • Rich-text notes with checklists, images and drawings • Attach a note to a task or a ledger entry — keep the context together • Search across everything NEW IN 2.6.0 • Home Screen widget — see today's tasks without opening the app • Smoother offline behaviour and a faster, quieter sync BUILT TO LAST • iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad and Mac • Face ID / Touch ID lock • Light and dark appearance, with a choice of card materials • 12 languages: English, 简体中文, 繁體中文, 日本語, 한국어, Deutsch, Français, Italiano, Bahasa Melayu, ไทย, Türkçe, Tiếng Việt • Core features free forever — KeepNote Plus is entirely optional PRIVACY Your data lives in your own iCloud account. We don't run ads, we don't sell data, and we don't operate a server that reads your notes. Privacy policy: https://www.keepnote.host/privacy Questions, bugs or ideas? We read everything — write to us from inside the app.

Screenshots

Plain Note4 screens
KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Plain Note at 4.6 against KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget's 4.0. Plain Note also leads on ratings volume (1.1K vs 1). KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Plain Note sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Plain Note holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plain Note has 1.1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Plain Note ships an update every 9 days, KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Plain Note versus KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlain NoteKeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (1.1K ratings) — better4.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews62.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.1K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMonelyze Inc.荣彬 谢

Customer experience

Plain Note

All ratings1,079 ratings
Positive90.5%
Neutral3.6%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews106 reviews
Positive62.3%
Neutral13.2%
Negative24.5%

KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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
Show 2 more
  • Text formatting options (bold, italics, headings)
  • Ability to insert photos and videos

KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Plain Note

Subscriptions2
  • Premium - Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Premium - Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium - Lifetime$29.99
3 purchases

KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget

Subscriptions2
  • KeepNote VIP$0.991 Month
  • KeepNote VIP$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • KeepNote Plus$24.99

Questions

Is Plain Note free?
Plain Note is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget free?
KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Plain Note or KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget?
Plain Note is rated higher. Plain Note averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Plain Note or KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget have ads?
Neither Plain Note nor KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Plain Note or KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget?
Plain Note ships an update every 9 days, and KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget fortnightly. Most recently, Plain Note was updated on October 26, 2026 and KeepNote Lists, Notes, Budget on October 27, 2026.

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