# Plain Note vs InsCal

The clearest difference is ads: Plain Note at none against InsCal's shown. Plain Note also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). InsCal's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On price, in-app purchases 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 and InsCal sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Plain Note ships an update every 9 days, InsCal every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Plain Note | InsCal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | 62.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 31 MB | 92 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Monelyze Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1086641918) | [Jing Technologies Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896320560) |

## What reviewers say

### Plain Note

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

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo 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


### InsCal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/inscal-instant-cloud-calendar/id6759153012)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| InsCal Premium Monthly | $3.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Plain Note free?

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

### Is InsCal free?

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

### Do Plain Note or InsCal have ads?

InsCal shows ads; Plain Note does not.

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

Plain Note ships an update every 9 days, and InsCal every 2 months. Most recently, Plain Note was updated on November 3, 2026 and InsCal on October 28, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*