# Evernote vs Plain Note

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Evernote at 78K against Plain Note's 1.1K. Evernote also leads on chart position (#24 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). Plain Note's advantage is review sentiment (62% vs 51%). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Evernote sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $13.95 per month and Plain Note sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Plain Note holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Evernote has 78K ratings behind it against 1.1K, 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 62% of Plain Note's.

Evernote ships an update weekly, Plain Note every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Evernote | Plain Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (78K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/evernote-ai-notes-and-notebook/id281796108/reviews) | **[4.6 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plain-note-notes-widget/id1478542921/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **78K** | 1.1K |
| Positive reviews | 51.1% of reviews | **62.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#24** | — |
| Size | 329 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Evernote Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/281796111) | [Monelyze Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1086641918) |

## What reviewers say

### Evernote

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

**Currently charting:** #24 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


### Plain Note

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plain-note-notes-widget/id1478542921)

This app allows you to create and organize notes with customizable tags and icons. It offers lock screen and home screen widgets for quick access and supports character/line counting. Personalize your experience with themes, app icons, and fonts.

**Highlights:** Organize notes with tags, Customizable tag icons and colors, Character and line counting, Lock screen and home screen widgets, Customizable themes, app icons, and fonts, Archive and organize notes

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium - Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Premium - Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium - Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and clean design
- 💡 One-time payment model
- 🚀 Beautifully designed notes app
- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Customizable tags and icons

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Notes sometimes don't save properly
- 🐛 Slow and unreliable synchronization
- ❌ No text formatting options (bold, italics, etc.)
- ❌ No ability to insert photos or videos
- ❌ No option to export notes

**Reported bugs**

- Notes sometimes get deleted after updates
- Widget not working as expected, showing wrong note

**Requested features**

- Ability to swipe widget to display another note
- Subfolders for better organization
- Export function to backup notes
- Option to change app colors
- Support for multiple notes in one widget


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Evernote free?

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

### Is Plain Note free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Evernote or Plain Note?

Plain Note is rated higher. Evernote averages 4.4 out of 5 from 78K ratings, while Plain Note averages 4.6 from 1.1K ratings.

### Do Evernote or Plain Note have ads?

Neither Evernote nor Plain Note shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Evernote or Plain Note?

Evernote ships an update weekly, and Plain Note every 10 days. Most recently, Evernote was updated on September 24, 2026 and Plain Note on September 22, 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.*