Comparison

Evernote vs Simplenote

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Evernote

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
Read full description

Evernote is your second brain — the place to keep everything that matters and find it again the moment you need it. "…an invaluable tool for organizing a messy digital life." — The New York Times Capture a thought, a to-do, a photo, or a whole project, then let Evernote help you organize it, make sense of it, transcribe a meeting or tidy up a rough draft, and bring it back exactly when it counts. From the first spark of an idea to the finished plan, it all lives in one calm, searchable place — at work, at home, and everywhere in between. CAPTURE ANYTHING Jot a quick note, build a checklist, save a photo, an email or a PDF, or clip an article from the web before it disappears. Type it out, write by hand, snap a picture, or record a voice memo — whatever's fastest in the moment. Your ideas land in one place, ready when you are, so nothing gets lost on a sticky note or buried in your inbox. STAY ORGANIZED, EFFORTLESSLY Sort notes into notebooks and add tags, or just start writing and let structure follow. Group related notes together, pin the ones you reach for most, and keep work, school, and life neatly apart — without spending your day tidying up. Evernote keeps things in order so you can stay focused on the thinking. FIND WHAT YOU NEED, FAST Search across everything you've saved — including the text inside your images and PDFs. Ask in plain language and Semantic Search surfaces the right note, even when you can't remember the exact words or where you put it. The more you save, the more useful it becomes. MEET YOUR AI ASSISTANT Your AI Assistant clears away the busywork so you can stay in the thinking, working quietly alongside you. Record a conversation and Evernote AI transcribes and summarizes it for you; AI Transcription turns audio, images, and video into text; and AI Edit cleans up a rough draft, shortens it, or changes the tone while keeping it in your own voice. PLAN YOUR DAY Add due dates, reminders, and to-dos right inside your notes, so the next step is always clear and nothing slips through the cracks. Check things off as you go and keep momentum without switching apps. WORK EVERYWHERE Your notes sync automatically across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, and the web — start on one device and pick up right where you left off on another. Evernote works offline too, so you're never locked out of your own ideas, even when you're far from a signal. FOR WORK, SCHOOL, AND LIFE - Plan projects, prep meetings, and keep every detail in one place. - Take lecture notes, organize research, and study smarter for exams. - Save recipes, plan trips, track goals, and remember the little things that matter. - Keep a journal, draft your next big idea, and capture inspiration whenever it strikes. "Its magic lies in its flexibility." — PCMag However you think, and whatever you're working on, Evernote helps you remember everything and get it done. Capture today's idea — and find it the moment you need it.

About

Simplenote

Capture ideas, create to-do lists, and jot down thoughts effortlessly. Organize your notes with tags and pins, and find them instantly with search. Your content syncs across all devices for free, ensuring it's always accessible.

Highlights
  • Simple note-taking experience
  • Cross-device syncing
  • Collaboration and sharing
  • Organization with tags
  • Instant search
  • To-do list creation
  • Passcode lock
Read full description

Simplenote is an easy way to take notes, create to-do lists, capture ideas, and more. Open it, jot down some thoughts, and you're done. As your collection grows, stay organized with tags and pins, and find what you need with instant search. Since Simplenote will sync across your devices for free, your notes are with you at all times. - A simple, note taking experience - Sync everything across all your devices - Collaborate and share - Stay organized with tags - Log in with your email or WordPress.com account SYNC WITH CONFIDENCE - Automatically sync seamlessly across any computer, phone or tablet. - Back up and sync everything as you take notes, so you never lose your content. COLLABORATE AND SHARE - Collaborate and work together -- share ideas with a colleague, or write a grocery list with your roommate. - Choose whether to publish your content to the web, and share a link with whoever you want. - Publish directly to a WordPress site by connecting your WordPress.com account. - Quickly and easily share with third-party apps. ORGANIZE AND SEARCH - Stay organized with tags, and use them for quick searching and sorting. - Instantly find what you’re looking for with keyword highlighting. - Use markdown to add formatting. - Create to-do lists. - Choose the sorting order of your notes and tags. - Pin the notes that you use the most. - Edit tags directly by renaming and reordering. - Protect your content with a passcode lock. -- Privacy Policy: https://automattic.com/privacy/ Terms of Service: https://simplenote.com/terms/ California Users Privacy Notice: https://wp.me/Pe4R-d/#california-consumer-privacy-act-ccpa -- Visit simplenote.com to download Simplenote for your other devices.

Screenshots

Evernote4 screens
Simplenote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Simplenote at 86% against Evernote's 51%. Simplenote also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). Evernote's advantage is ratings volume (78K vs 4.3K) and chart position (#23 vs unranked). 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. Evernote sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $13.95 per month and Simplenote sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Simplenote 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 4.3K, 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 86% of Simplenote's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Evernote ships an update weekly, Simplenote fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Evernote versus Simplenote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEvernoteSimplenote
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (78K ratings)4.7 (4.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews51.1% of reviews86.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings78K — better4.3K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#23 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size329 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEvernote CorporationAutomattic

Customer experience

Evernote

All ratings77,757 ratings
Positive85.1%
Neutral3.3%
Negative11.6%
Written reviews4,323 reviews
Positive51.1%
Neutral7.2%
Negative41.7%

Simplenote

All ratings4,313 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral1.5%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews1,717 reviews
Positive86.2%
Neutral4.5%
Negative9.3%

User reviews

Evernote

From 78K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Simplenote

From 4.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💻 Cross-platform availability
  • 🔍 Reliable search functionality
  • 🌐 Seamless syncing across devices
  • 📝 Simple, distraction-free interface
  • 🔒 Secure with password/fingerprint protection

Room to improve

  • 🔖 Limited formatting options (no bold, italic, etc.)
  • 🗂️ Lack of folder organization
  • 🔄 Occasional syncing issues
  • 🖼️ Unable to add images or attachments
  • 🔍 Search could be improved for long notes

Bugs and requests

Evernote

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

Simplenote

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Notes sometimes disappear or get duplicated
  • App crashes or freezes on certain devices
  • Syncing problems between mobile and desktop

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add bold, italic, and other formatting options
  • Implement folder-based organization
  • Improve syncing reliability across devices
  • Allow adding images, files, and other attachments
  • Enhance search capabilities for long notes

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Evernote

Subscriptions9
  • Evernote Plus$13.951 Month
  • Evernote Plus2 variants$15.001 Month
  • Evernote Premium2 variants$17.491 Month
Show 6 more
  • Evernote Personal$17.491 Month
  • Evernote Personal7 Days trial$17.491 Month
  • Monthly Personal Plan7 Days trial$17.491 Month
  • Evernote Personal Monthly$17.491 Month
  • Evernote Personal Monthly$22.001 Month
  • Evernote Premium$169.001 Year
2 purchases

Simplenote

Subscriptions2
  • Simplenote Sustainer Monthly$19.991 Month
  • Simplenote Sustainer Yearly$199.991 Year

Questions

Is Evernote free?
Evernote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simplenote free?
Simplenote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Evernote or Simplenote?
Simplenote is rated higher. Evernote averages 4.4 out of 5 from 78K ratings, while Simplenote averages 4.7 from 4.3K ratings.
Do Evernote or Simplenote have ads?
Neither Evernote nor Simplenote shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Evernote or Simplenote?
Evernote ships an update weekly, and Simplenote fortnightly. Most recently, Evernote was updated on September 25, 2026 and Simplenote on September 23, 2026.

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