Comparison

NotePlan vs Loam

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

Loam

Features
Read full description

Loam is a Markdown notes app that formats as you type. Type ## and the line becomes a heading. Bold, links, tasks, tables and code render in place, and the file underneath stays plain Markdown. WRITE Headings hang in the margin so every line keeps the same left edge, and Markdown marks fade when your cursor moves away. Prefer to see every character? Turn that off in Settings. Pick from six editor themes, in light and dark, and three type sets. They are all free. FIND Tag a note with #tag, or nest tags like #projects/garden. Link one note to another with [[double brackets]]. Search every note from the library. Tap a link, a #tag or a [[wiki link]] to jump to it. Pin notes, archive the ones you are done with and send the rest to Trash, where you can restore them. MADE FOR IPHONE AND IPAD Add a Home Screen widget for your recent note, quick capture or an interactive checklist. Start a new note from a control. Send text, links and web pages to Loam from the Share sheet. Ask Siri or use Shortcuts to create a note or add text to one. Find notes from Spotlight. On iPad, the library and the note sit side by side. Export every note as Markdown files from Settings. SHARE (PRO) Invite people to a note by email and choose whether each person can edit, comment or only read. Publish a note as a clean web page and take it down whenever you like. Mentions and replies arrive as notifications you can answer from the Lock Screen. AI APPS (PRO) Connect AI apps that support MCP, the Model Context Protocol, from Settings > AI apps. You decide whether each app can read your notes, change them or manage sharing, and you can see and remove every connected app. FREE AND PRO Free: the full editor, all themes and type sets, tags, links and search on one device, with no time limit. Notes that other people share with you open and sync on Free too. Pro: sync across your devices, sharing, publishing to the web and AI app access. Loam Pro costs US$2.99 a month or US$29.99 a year, with a 14-day free trial for new subscribers. Prices vary by country and appear in your local currency at checkout. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase, or when the free trial ends. The subscription renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. Terms of Use: https://loamnotes.app/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://loamnotes.app/privacy/ Support: hello@loamnotes.app

Screenshots

NotePlan4 screens
Loam4 screens

Verdict

The call

NotePlan and Loam are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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 Loam sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
NotePlan versus Loam: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotePlanLoam
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.5K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews85.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.5K — better—
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscription—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size204 MB57 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperNotePlan LLCRicardo Dantas Goncalves

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

Loam

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

Loam

Subscriptions2
  • Loam Pro Monthly14 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Loam Pro Annual14 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is NotePlan free?
NotePlan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Loam free?
Loam is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do NotePlan or Loam have ads?
Neither NotePlan nor Loam shows ads.

Other comparisons