Simplenote vs Aura
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Simple note-taking experience
- Cross-device syncing
- Collaboration and sharing
- Organization with tags
- Instant search
- To-do list creation
- Passcode lock
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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.
Aura
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Aura is a minimalist, low-contrast headache and migraine diary designed to protect your eyes during attacks and simplify communication with your specialists. If you suffer from migraines, tension headaches, or chronic head pain, you know how hard it is to look at a bright, cluttered screen during an episode. Aura solves this with a two-step logging system and a True Black user interface designed specifically for photophobia (light sensitivity). Key Features: • Crisis Mode: Log the start of an attack and its intensity (VAS scale 1-10) with one tap. No bright animations, no complex setups, and no eye strain. • Retrospective Details: Complete the entry details later when you feel better. You have 24 hours to add symptoms, triggers, and medication logs. • 3-Way Pain Mapping: Draw the location of your pain on a 3-dimensional anatomical outline (Front, Left, and Right profiles). • Medication Tracking: Log medications (like paracetamol, ibuprofen, triptans) and track their effectiveness 2 hours post-dose. • One-Page PDF Report: Generate a visual pain heatmap that overlays all your pain maps from the selected period into a single, clean sheet. Your specialist can analyze your history in under 15 seconds. Keep your health history organized without the clutter. Download Aura today for a simple, clinical, and eye-friendly way to track your headaches. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Medical Disclaimer: The Aura app is designed solely for tracking and visualizing headache information. It does not provide medical diagnoses, advice, or treatment. The information within this app should not replace professional medical consultation. Always seek a doctor's advice in addition to using this app and before making any medical decisions.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Aura at none against Simplenote's 2. Simplenote's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement 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. Simplenote sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Aura asks for nothing beyond the download.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Simplenote | Aura |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (4.3K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 86.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4.3K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Automattic | Jakub Kazimierczak |
Bugs and requests
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
Aura
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Simplenote
- Simplenote Sustainer Monthly$19.991 Month
- Simplenote Sustainer Yearly$199.991 Year
Aura
No in-app purchases









