# Plain Note vs Simple Widget Note

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Simple Widget Note at none against Plain Note's 3. Simple Widget Note also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Plain Note's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Plain Note sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Simple Widget Note asks for nothing beyond the download.

Plain Note ships an update every 9 days, Simple Widget Note every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Plain Note | Simple Widget Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plain-note-notes-widget/id1478542921/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.1K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 62.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 31 MB | 0 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Monelyze Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1086641918) | [JENS-HILMAR WALTER BRADT](https://appshunter.io/developer/1756739001) |

## 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


### Simple Widget Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-widget-note/id6532619660)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Plain Note free?

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

### Is Simple Widget Note free?

Simple Widget Note is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Plain Note or Simple Widget Note have ads?

Neither Plain Note nor Simple Widget Note shows ads.

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

Plain Note ships an update every 9 days, and Simple Widget Note every 3 months. Most recently, Plain Note was updated on October 1, 2026 and Simple Widget Note on September 30, 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.*