Simple Handwritten Note vs Etchpad
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Simple Handwritten Note
This app allows users to jot down notes and sketches using a black pen. It functions as a simple memo pad or notebook for quickly capturing ideas or communicating through writing. The core features include writing, erasing, and saving.
- Handwritten note-taking
- Drawing and sketching
- Memo pad functionality
- Quick idea capture
- Writing, erasing, and saving
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A handwritten note app that lets you write with a black pen Can be used as a memo pad, notebook, quickly write down ideas, draw, sketch, written communicate, etc. It is a simple function of writing, erasing, and saving, please try it.
Etchpad
Relive nostalgic drawing experiences with this app that lets you create images using two knobs for horizontal and vertical lines. Erase your creations by shaking your device or using a long press. Share your artwork through various methods.
- Draw with horizontal and vertical knobs
- Shake to erase screen
- Long press erase option
- Share drawings easily
- Nostalgic drawing interface
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Draw lines with two knobs horizontally and vertically with this nostalgic drawing app. Erase the screen by shaking the phone (or with long press if authentic way is too difficult). You can share the drawing by various ways.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Simple Handwritten Note at 5.0 against Etchpad's 4.1. Simple Handwritten Note also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 30 months). Etchpad's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 50%) and ratings volume (10 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Simple Handwritten Note holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Etchpad has 10 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Simple Handwritten Note's written reviews are positive against 75% of Etchpad's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Simple Handwritten Note ships an update every 3 months, Etchpad every 30 months. The most recent releases landed on September 7, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Simple Handwritten Note | Etchpad |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.1 (10 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 10 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 30 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ryouhei Azuma | Digital Footmark Oy |
Customer experience
Simple Handwritten Note
Etchpad
In-app purchases
Simple Handwritten Note
No in-app purchases
Etchpad
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Simple Handwritten Note free?
Is Etchpad free?
Which has better reviews, Simple Handwritten Note or Etchpad?
Do Simple Handwritten Note or Etchpad have ads?
Which is updated more often, Simple Handwritten Note or Etchpad?
Other comparisons
