# Evernote vs Simple Notes

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Simple Notes at 88% against Evernote's 51%. Simple Notes also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4). Evernote's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Evernote sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $13.95 per month and Simple Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Simple Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Evernote has 78K ratings behind it against 790, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of Evernote's written reviews are positive against 88% of Simple Notes's.

Evernote ships an update weekly, Simple Notes every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Evernote | Simple Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (78K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/evernote-ai-notes-and-notebook/id281796108/reviews) | **[4.7 (790 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-notes-notepad-manager/id1457937396/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **78K** | 790 |
| Positive reviews | 51.1% of reviews | **87.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#26** | — |
| Size | 329 MB | 206 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Evernote Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/281796111) | [Komorebi Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/481596469) |

## What reviewers say

### Evernote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/evernote-ai-notes-and-notebook/id281796108)

**Currently charting:** #26 Top Grossing · Productivity (US App Store)

Capture ideas, organize notes, and manage tasks across all your devices. This app helps you tame distractions and accomplish more by bringing your to-dos, schedule, and important information together in one searchable place.

**Highlights:** Capture ideas as searchable notes, Create to-do lists with reminders, Organize with notebooks and tags, Scan and digitize paper documents, Sync across all devices, Integrate with Google Calendar, Web clipping for articles

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Evernote Plus | $13.95 | per month |
| Evernote Plus | $15.00 | per month |
| Evernote Premium | $17.49 | per month |
| Evernote Personal | $17.49 | per month |
| Evernote Personal | $17.49 | per month |
| Monthly Personal Plan | $17.49 | per month |
| Evernote Personal Monthly | $17.49 | per month |
| Evernote Personal Monthly | $22.00 | per month |
| Evernote Premium | $169.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 High quality notes app
- 🔒 Secure and reliable
- 👍 Useful features and integrations
- 👍 Powerful search and organization
- 👍 Seamless cross-device sync

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable on mobile
- 🔒 Security and privacy concerns
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 👎 Declining quality and customer support
- 👎 Aggressive upselling and limitations on free version

**Reported bugs**

- Notes not saving properly
- Sync issues between devices
- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Search functionality not working as expected
- Inability to access notes after subscription changes

**Requested features**

- Improved mobile app performance and stability
- Enhanced security features like encryption and two-factor authentication
- More flexible and affordable subscription options
- Better customer support and communication
- Expanded formatting and customization options


### Simple Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-notes-notepad-manager/id1457937396)

This app offers a clean and efficient way to organize your thoughts and ideas. Easily add images, organize notes into colored folders, and secure your entries with a passcode. Customize the look with various themes and fonts, and back up your data to iCloud.

**Highlights:** Add photos to notes, Organize with colored folders, Calendar view for notes, Passcode and biometric lock, Customizable themes and fonts, iCloud backup and sync, Smart search with tags

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium (Annual) | $14.99 | per year |
| Premium Service | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 📁 Folder organization and color-coding
- 🔒 Password protection
- 💡 Useful for school and work notes
- 🚀 Fast and responsive

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Lack of iCloud sync
- 📐 Limited formatting options (no bold, italics, etc.)
- 🎨 Default folder color cannot be changed
- 🔍 No alphabetical sorting for folders

**Reported bugs**

- No local PC backup and restore feature
- UI looks outdated and childish

**Requested features**

- Add ability to pin notes at the top of a folder
- Implement iCloud sync between devices
- Introduce more text formatting options (bold, italics, underline, etc.)
- Allow changing folder colors


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Evernote free?

Evernote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Simple Notes free?

Simple Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Evernote or Simple Notes?

Simple Notes is rated higher. Evernote averages 4.4 out of 5 from 78K ratings, while Simple Notes averages 4.7 from 790 ratings.

### Do Evernote or Simple Notes have ads?

Simple Notes shows ads; Evernote does not.

### Which is updated more often, Evernote or Simple Notes?

Evernote ships an update weekly, and Simple Notes every 3 months. Most recently, Evernote was updated on September 24, 2026 and Simple Notes on September 23, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*