# Plain Note vs Note

The clearest difference is rating: Plain Note at 4.6 against Note's 2.3. Plain Note also leads on review sentiment (62% vs 22%) and ads (none vs shown). Note's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Plain Note sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Note sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Plain Note holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plain Note has 1.1K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Plain Note's written reviews are positive against 22% of Note's.

Plain Note ships an update every 10 days, Note every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and August 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Plain Note | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plain-note-notes-widget/id1478542921/reviews)** | [2.3 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/note-purpose-journal/id6504825711/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **62.3% of reviews** | 22.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 11 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 31 MB | 55 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Monelyze Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1086641918) | [LT VN TECHNOLOGY COMPANY LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1753978317) |

## What reviewers say

### Plain Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plain-note-notes-widget/id1478542921)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium - Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium - Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium - Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and clean design
- 💡 One-time payment model
- 🚀 Beautifully designed notes app
- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Customizable tags and icons

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Notes sometimes don't save properly
- 🐛 Slow and unreliable synchronization
- ❌ No text formatting options (bold, italics, etc.)
- ❌ No ability to insert photos or videos
- ❌ No option to export notes

**Reported bugs**

- Notes sometimes get deleted after updates
- Widget not working as expected, showing wrong note

**Requested features**

- 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


### Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/note-purpose-journal/id6504825711)

Capture, organize, and secure your thoughts with a versatile note-taking tool. Features include image notes, checklists, drawing, voice recording, and OCR for image-to-text conversion. Protect your data with PIN code security and operate offline.

**Highlights:** Image notes, Checklists, Drawing tools, Voice recording, Image to text conversion (OCR), PIN code security, Offline operation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| One Week | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| One Month | $4.99 | per month |
| One Year | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Plain Note free?

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

### Is Note free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Plain Note or Note?

Plain Note is rated higher. Plain Note averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Note averages 2.3 from 4 ratings.

### Do Plain Note or Note have ads?

Note shows ads; Plain Note does not.

### Which is updated more often, Plain Note or Note?

Plain Note ships an update every 10 days, and Note every 11 days. Most recently, Plain Note was updated on September 22, 2026 and Note on August 12, 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.*