Plain Note vs Simple Notes
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
Simple Notes
Capture ideas, memos, and tasks effortlessly with this fast and minimal note-taking app. Organize notes into notebooks, sync across devices, and access reminders with home screen widgets. Secure backups and powerful search ensure your thoughts are always accessible.
- Ultra-lightweight and fast
- Organize with notebooks
- Sync across devices
- Sticky notes on home screen
- Secure backups
- Powerful search tool
- Easy note sharing
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Simple Notes is a fast, clean notepad for people who just want to write things down and find them again. Open the app, tap New Note, and start typing. No accounts to create, no setup, no clutter. Your notes stay on your device until you decide to sync them. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Write notes instantly and find them with search • Sort notes into categories with their own colors • Pin important notes to the top • Add photos to any note • Share a category with family or coworkers and edit the same notes together • Sync across iPhone and iPad with a free account • Back up to iCloud and restore in one tap • Export as PDF, HTML or text • Widgets for your Home Screen • Light, dark and colorful themes, plus extra fonts MADE FOR FOCUS The editor gets out of your way. Pick where the cursor starts, turn spell check on or off, choose your text size, and write. YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS Notes work fully offline. Export or back up whenever you like, and delete your account and data at any time. PREMIUM Go ad-free and unlock photos in notes, category icons, themes and fonts with Simple Notes Premium. Monthly, yearly, or once for life. Questions or ideas? Reach us from Settings › Feedback. We read every message. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel them in your Apple ID settings. Privacy Policy: https://androidmemoapp.blogspot.com/2019/05/privacy-policy.html Terms of Use: https://androidmemoapp.blogspot.com/2025/05/simple-notes-terms-of-use.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Plain Note at none against Simple Notes's shown. Plain Note also leads on ratings volume (1.1K vs 233). Simple Notes's advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 63%) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Plain Note sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Simple Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.39 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Plain Note against 4.7 for Simple Notes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 233 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of Plain Note's written reviews are positive against 80% of Simple Notes's.
Plain Note ships an update every 9 days, Simple Notes every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Plain Note | Simple Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (1.1K ratings) | 4.7 (233 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.6% of reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K — better | 233 |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 65 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Monelyze Inc. | Phearoth Phen |
Customer experience
Plain Note
Simple Notes
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
Simple Notes
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
Simple Notes
- Monthly subscription$2.391 Month
- Yearly subscription$15.991 Year
- Unlimited Plan$39.99
Questions
Is Plain Note free?
Is Simple Notes free?
Which has better reviews, Plain Note or Simple Notes?
Do Plain Note or Simple Notes have ads?
Which is updated more often, Plain Note or Simple Notes?
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