Comparison

NotePlan vs Capacities

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

Capacities

This app allows you to collect, connect, and reflect on your notes and ideas. Access your existing content, quickly capture new information, and discover connections between your thoughts. An integrated AI assistant is available for enhanced productivity.

Highlights
  • Daily notes for planning and reflection
  • Powerful search functionality
  • Quick capture of photos and content
  • Share sheet integration
  • AI assistant for note-taking
  • Browse and read notes
  • Explore connections between notes
Features
Read full description

The Capacities Mobile App for iPhone and iPad is your note-taking companion when you're on the go. Access all your notes, quickly save important info, and create new content. If you're stuck, ask our integrated AI assistant (Capacities Pro). As the mobile version of Capacities, it is adapted to mobile workflows and works great together with the desktop app. KEY FEATURES DAILY NOTES Plan your day, write down ideas, and reflect. POWERFUL SEARCH Find what you are looking for in seconds. QUICK CAPTURE Quickly add photos, use the camera, or create new content. SHARE SHEET Save content from other apps to Capacities. AI ASSISTANT A powerful assistant right and your pocket and linked to your notes. BROWSE AND READ Browse through all your notes and let them inspire you. EXPLORE CONNECTIONS Find hidden connections and supercharge your creative thinking. LEARN MORE HERE Website: capacities.io Contact: team@capacities.io Discord: https://discord.gg/3eBP9YxHgQ Twitter: @CapacitiesHQ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLqpKLWf9hmmh07z9U1cNIg Reddit: reddit.com/r/capacitiesapp/ Terms and conditions: https://capacities.io/terms-and-conditions Privacy policy: https://capacities.io/privacy-policy

Screenshots

NotePlan4 screens
Capacities4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Capacities at free with in-app purchases against NotePlan's subscription. Capacities also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly). NotePlan's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (85% vs 58%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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 Capacities sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NotePlan holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NotePlan has 1.5K ratings behind it against 114, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of NotePlan's written reviews are positive against 58% of Capacities's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NotePlan ships an update monthly, Capacities every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
NotePlan versus Capacities: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotePlanCapacities
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.5K ratings) — better4.3 (114 ratings)
Positive reviews85.0% of reviews — better58.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1.5K — better114
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size210 MB766 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNotePlan LLCCapacities Labs GmbH

Customer experience

NotePlan

All ratings1,506 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral1.9%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews474 reviews
Positive85.0%
Neutral4.6%
Negative10.3%

Capacities

All ratings114 ratings
Positive78.1%
Neutral10.5%
Negative11.4%
Written reviews69 reviews
Positive58.0%
Neutral23.2%
Negative18.8%

User reviews

NotePlan

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful note-taking and task management
  • 👍 Seamless calendar and reminders integration
  • 💡 Flexible and customizable workflow
  • 🔒 Secure and open-format data storage
  • 👍 Responsive and helpful developer

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Occasional sync and performance issues
  • 👤 Limited collaboration and sharing features

Capacities

From 114 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💡 Innovative date-based note-taking system
  • 🎯 Powerful custom object types and organization
  • 🔗 Excellent backlink and connection features
  • 📱 Seamless cross-device syncing
  • 🎨 Clean, intuitive, visually appealing interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Mobile app freezes and crashes frequently
  • 📱 Inconsistent functionality across devices
  • ⚠️ iPad split-screen not supported
  • 🔤 Text editing experience buggy on iOS
  • ⏱️ Slow performance with large documents

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

Capacities

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • App freezes on splash screen (iPhone 7, iOS 15)
  • Login and password reset failures
  • Tagging on iPad causes app lockup
  • Toggle not clickable with Magic Keyboard on iPad
  • Task checkbox not working with Magic Keyboard
Show 10 more
  • Text pasting causes freezing
  • Audio upload crashes app
  • Audio doesn't play on iOS
  • Cover image properties not displaying
  • Linking text to objects broken on desktop
  • Emoji skin tones cannot be changed
  • App requires frequent restarts
  • Sync issues between devices
  • Display glitches and UI inconsistencies
  • Erratic editing and syncing behavior

Requested features

18 requests
  • iPad app support
  • Create custom object types on mobile
  • Turn Into function on mobile devices
  • System-level notifications for tasks and due dates
  • Footnotes support
Show 13 more
  • Image storage without gallery saving
  • Font hierarchy preservation with indentation
  • Multi-block selection on mobile
  • Audio note support
  • Template auto-generation with dates
  • Import/export tools
  • Student discount pricing
  • Tiered pricing options
  • Right-to-left language support
  • Font size customization for accessibility
  • Web extension iOS compatibility
  • Better text selection on mobile
  • Split screen functionality on iPad

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
2 purchases

Capacities

Subscriptions2
  • Capacities Pro$17.991 Month
  • Capacities Pro$199.001 Year

Questions

Is NotePlan free?
NotePlan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Capacities free?
Capacities is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NotePlan or Capacities?
NotePlan is rated higher. NotePlan averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Capacities averages 4.3 from 114 ratings.
Do NotePlan or Capacities have ads?
Neither NotePlan nor Capacities shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NotePlan or Capacities?
NotePlan ships an update monthly, and Capacities every 10 days. Most recently, NotePlan was updated on October 15, 2026 and Capacities on October 13, 2026.

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