Comparison

NotePlan vs JotNotes

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

Head to head
About

NotePlan

Organize your tasks, notes, and calendar in one unified app. Quickly plan your day with Markdown, link notes bi-directionally, and stay on top of your to-dos with powerful review and search features. Seamlessly integrates with your existing calendars and syncs across all your Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Unified task, note, and calendar view
  • Markdown for quick task and note creation
  • Bi-directional note linking
  • Calendar integration (iCloud, Google, Exchange)
  • Flexible recurring tasks
  • Global Command Bar for fast navigation
  • Plaintext note storage
Features
Read full description

Having trouble planning your day, managing your to-do list, and organizing your notes? Always jumping between apps and losing track of what to do and where you put things? Say hello to NotePlan! NotePlan lets you manage everything in one place: your tasks, notes, and calendar. Perfect for project managers, designers, researchers, writers, students, or anyone who wants to be organized and efficient. QUICKLY PLAN YOUR DAY WITH MARKDOWN • Plan your day by seeing your calendar, notes, and tasks in a single view • Create tasks and notes quickly with Markdown • Add #tags to organize tasks and notes • Use @mentions to find people • Reschedule to-do items easily • Create flexible recurring tasks • Work faster with autocomplete BUILD YOUR NETWORK OF NOTES • Create your own network of notes • Organize any way you want to: from simple folders over P.A.R.A. to a Zettelkasten system • Bi-directional notes: link your calendar and your notes in any direction, automatically • Cross-reference and link notes easily STAY ON TOP OF THINGS WITH REVIEW • Search all tasks and notes, instantly • See all open tasks with the click of a button • Get a list of overdue to-do items • See upcoming tasks at a glance • Create custom filters with your own queries using status, #tags, @mentions, or even text SEAMLESS INTEGRATION WITH YOUR CALENDAR • Create events and reminders right in NotePlan • Support for iCloud, Google, and Exchange calendars • Time-block tasks on your calendar simply by typing AVAILABLE ON MAC, IPHONE & IPAD • Sync everything between your Apple devices • Use any sync method you like: CloudKit or iCloud Drive • A single subscription for all your devices OPEN, PRIVATE & FAST • All your notes are stored in plaintext so you're never locked in • Your information is private and cannot be accessed • Enjoy lightning speed thanks to local files and native apps ANY THEME YOU WANT • Choose from a variety of built-in themes • Work with light or dark versions • Create your own custom theme SHORTCUTS FOR MAXIMUM SPEED • Extended Markdown syntax support with customization options • Move around without ever leaving the keyboard • Find everything with the Global Command Bar NotePlan is developed independently and prioritizes user features and requests. We have long-term roadmaps and listen to customers to improve the apps. - - - - - Price may vary by location. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. After purchase, manage your subscriptions in App Store Account Settings. - - - - - Email: hello@noteplan.co Web: noteplan.co Discord: https://discord.gg/D4268MT Twitter: NotePlanApp Reddit: reddit.com/r/NotePlanApp Learn NotePlan course: https://noteplan.eo.page/newsletter Terms of use: http://noteplan.co/tos/ Privacy policy: https://noteplan.co/privacy/

About

JotNotes

Capture notes, ideas, and goals effortlessly with this streamlined application. Organize your thoughts using color-coded boards for easy retrieval in any aspect of your life.

Highlights
  • Clutter-free interface
  • Organized notes
  • Color-coded boards
  • Easy to find notes
  • Capture ideas and goals
Features
Read full description

JotNotes is a simple, clutter-free app for capturing notes at work, school, or in everyday life. All your notes stay neatly organized and easy to find — thanks to a clean interface designed to stay out of your way. Create color-coded boards to group your notes by topic, project, or anything else that matters to you.

Screenshots

NotePlan4 screens
JotNotes2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: JotNotes at free with in-app purchases against NotePlan's subscription. JotNotes also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). NotePlan's advantage is ratings volume (1.5K vs 1) and review sentiment (85% vs 67%). On price, 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. NotePlan sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and JotNotes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

JotNotes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NotePlan has 1.5K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 85% of NotePlan's written reviews are positive against 67% of JotNotes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NotePlan ships an update monthly, JotNotes every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and June 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
NotePlan versus JotNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotePlanJotNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.5K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings1.5K — better1
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size210 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNotePlan LLCIgor Rusinov

Customer experience

NotePlan

All ratings1,506 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral1.9%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews472 reviews
Positive85.0%
Neutral4.7%
Negative10.4%

JotNotes

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

NotePlan

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Inconsistent sync between devices
  • Crashes when opening certain files

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved iPad and mobile app experience
  • Better integration with other productivity apps
  • More automation and scripting capabilities
  • Weekly or monthly calendar view

JotNotes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

NotePlan

Subscriptions8
  • Personal Weekly$4.997 Days
  • Personal Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Personal Monthly1 Month trial$11.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Personal Monthly2 variants$12.001 Month
  • Personal Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Personal Annual7 Days trial2 variants$99.991 Year
  • Personal Annual1 Month trial$119.991 Year
  • Business Class1 Month trial$199.991 Year
1 purchases

JotNotes

One-time1
  • Unlock Full App$0.99

Questions

Is NotePlan free?
NotePlan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is JotNotes free?
JotNotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NotePlan or JotNotes?
JotNotes is rated higher. NotePlan averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while JotNotes averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do NotePlan or JotNotes have ads?
Neither NotePlan nor JotNotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NotePlan or JotNotes?
NotePlan ships an update monthly, and JotNotes every 3 days. Most recently, NotePlan was updated on September 23, 2026 and JotNotes on June 5, 2026.

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