Comparison

NotePlan vs Nuclear

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

Nuclear

This task manager offers a minimalist, uncluttered interface with monospaced fonts and no uppercase letters for a precise and stylish to-do list experience. Organize personal and professional commitments with customizable lists, colors, and icons.

Highlights
  • Minimalist monospaced font interface
  • Multiple task lists
  • Full list customizability (colors, icons, images)
  • Lightning-fast performance
  • Pro features: infinite lists, iCloud sync, widgets
Read full description

introducing nuclear, the sleekest to-do list. in a digital landscape filled with distractions, nuclear stands out as a beacon of efficiency. monospaced fonts reign and uppercase letters are absent, offering a distinctive and uncluttered task list experience. designed for those who value precision and style, it's sleek, it's sharp, it's fast — it's nuclear. core features: – ultimate efficiency: sculpted to perfection, lightning-fast, and ultra-reliable, nuclear is built to turbocharge your productivity. – multiple task lists: whether it's personal projects or professional commitments, segment your tasks to keep everything organized and distinct. – full customizability: make your lists distinctly yours. from colors to icons and images, nuclear ingeniously blends functionality with esthetics. pro features (available with a subscription): – infinite task lists. – icloud synchronization. – widgets (lock + home screen). – exclusive app icons. while nuclear title and visuals might echo the common wording "to-do list", or the even worse "to do list", it's a nod to familiar marketing paths. nuclear will gently nudge you towards the finesse of a task list.

Screenshots

NotePlan4 screens
Nuclear4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Nuclear at freemium against NotePlan's subscription. Nuclear also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 85%). NotePlan's advantage is ratings volume (1.5K vs 2) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, update cadence, 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 Nuclear sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 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 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NotePlan has 1.5K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 85% of NotePlan's written reviews are positive against 100% of Nuclear's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
NotePlan versus Nuclear: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotePlanNuclear
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.5K ratings) — better4.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews85.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.5K — better2
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size204 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNotePlan LLCTom Medioni

Customer experience

NotePlan

All ratings1,517 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral1.9%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews478 reviews
Positive85.1%
Neutral4.6%
Negative10.3%

Nuclear

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Nuclear

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
6 purchases

Nuclear

Subscriptions6
  • nuclear pro$1.991 Month
  • nuclear pro$2.991 Month
  • nuclear pro$9.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • nuclear pro$14.991 Year
  • nuclear pro$24.991 Year
  • nuclear pro$39.991 Year

Questions

Is NotePlan free?
NotePlan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Nuclear free?
Nuclear is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NotePlan or Nuclear?
NotePlan is rated higher. NotePlan averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.5K ratings, while Nuclear averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do NotePlan or Nuclear have ads?
Neither NotePlan nor Nuclear shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NotePlan or Nuclear?
NotePlan ships an update monthly, and Nuclear monthly. Most recently, NotePlan was updated on October 29, 2026 and Nuclear on September 22, 2026.

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