Comparison

Simplenote vs DueBell

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

Head to head
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.

About

DueBell

Read full description

DueBell keeps your tasks, deadlines, and reminders in one simple place with your data staying entirely on your device. TASKS - Create tasks with due dates, comments, and labels - Mark tasks complete and keep a record of everything you have finished - Tasks group into sections you can collapse CALENDAR VIEW - See everything due on a given day at a glance - Add or edit tasks from any date - Recurring tasks REMINDERS THAT FIT YOUR SCHEDULE - Set custom reminders - Repeat tasks - Quiet Hours delay reminders that would otherwise interrupt you PRIVATE BY DESIGN - Everything is stored locally on your iPhone or iPad. No account, no server, no tracking - Export your tasks anytime as a text file, for backup or reference DueBell is free to use, with no ads and no subscription. If you find it useful, an optional one-time tip in Settings helps support ongoing development. Please note: your tasks stay on this device only. There is currently no sync between multiple iPhones or iPads, and reminder delivery depends on iOS notification settings and system limits. By using this app you agree to the following: Privacy policy: https://www.clamquest.com/legal/duebell-privacy Terms of use: https://www.clamquest.com/legal/duebell-terms

Screenshots

Simplenote4 screens
DueBell3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Simplenote at 15.0 against DueBell's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Simplenote sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and DueBell sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Simplenote versus DueBell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimplenoteDueBell
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (4.3K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews86.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings4.3K — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB1 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAutomatticClamQuest, LLC

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

DueBell

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Simplenote

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

DueBell

One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium tip$2.99
  • Large tip$4.99

Questions

Is Simplenote free?
Simplenote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DueBell free?
DueBell is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Simplenote or DueBell have ads?
Neither Simplenote nor DueBell shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Simplenote or DueBell?
Simplenote ships an update fortnightly, and DueBell fortnightly. Most recently, Simplenote was updated on October 13, 2026 and DueBell on October 6, 2026.

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