Comparison

NotePlan vs Ambertide

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

Ambertide

Features
Read full description

Ambertide is a calendar, task list and deadline planner that works backwards from the dates that matter. DEADLINES WITH TIMELINES Give a deadline a date, add the tasks that lead up to it, and link the ones that depend on each other. Ambertide draws the timeline, shows what's blocked and what it's waiting on, and warns you when a task is scheduled before the thing it depends on. KNOW IF IT STILL FITS The critical path shows the chain of tasks that decides whether you make it, and how many days of slack you have left. The next-deadline pill shows your workload for every day until it's due, so overloaded days stand out. PLAN YOUR DAYS Day, week and month views with drag and drop. Move tasks between days, drop inbox tasks onto a day or a deadline, or just tick them off. Auto-schedule suggests where unscheduled work fits within your daily capacity, and nothing moves until you accept. WIDGETS THAT HELP YOU FOCUS Weather, a stocks watchlist with a ticker, a full-screen focus timer, habits with streaks, critical path, an agenda with free time between your calendar events, weekly progress, a workload heatmap, quick notes and a world clock. Add Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, and follow your focus session in the Dynamic Island. REMINDERS Local reminders before deadlines, an alert when a deadline no longer fits, an optional daily plan, and nudges for timed tasks and habits. PRIVATE BY DEFAULT No ads, no tracking and no third-party analytics, and we never sell your data. Sign in with email, Apple or Google and your plans sync across your devices for free. Events from your device calendar are never uploaded, and you can delete your account and all synced data at any time in Settings. Works on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. Stock data is for information only, may be delayed and is not investment advice. AMBERTIDE PRO Ambertide Pro is an optional auto-renewing subscription, monthly or yearly (the yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial). Payment is charged to your Apple ID. It renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your Apple ID's subscription settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Ambertide Terms: https://ambertide.app/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://ambertide.app/privacy/

Screenshots

NotePlan4 screens
Ambertide4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Ambertide at every 4 days against NotePlan's monthly. NotePlan's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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 Ambertide sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NotePlan ships an update monthly, Ambertide every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
NotePlan versus Ambertide: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotePlanAmbertide
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.5K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews85.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.5K — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size204 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNotePlan LLCMousa Alwaraki

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

Ambertide

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
2 purchases

Ambertide

Subscriptions2
  • Ambertide Pro (Monthly)$1.991 Month
  • Ambertide Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$14.991 Year

Questions

Is NotePlan free?
NotePlan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ambertide free?
Ambertide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do NotePlan or Ambertide have ads?
Neither NotePlan nor Ambertide shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NotePlan or Ambertide?
NotePlan ships an update monthly, and Ambertide every 4 days. Most recently, NotePlan was updated on October 25, 2026 and Ambertide on October 25, 2026.

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