Comparison

Simplenote vs PDF Shelf

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

PDF Shelf

Features
Read full description

PDFShelf is the #1 PDF reader and reading tracker app that transforms your documents into a beautiful digital bookshelf — and turns reading into a daily habit you'll love. Whether you're a student managing academic papers, a professional organizing work documents, or a book lover tracking your reading goals, PDFShelf gives you everything in one elegant, powerful app. --- YOUR BEAUTIFUL DIGITAL LIBRARY Import any PDF, Word document (DOCX/DOC), or image and watch it appear on a stunning virtual bookshelf with colorful spines. Organize your entire reading collection at a glance — just like a real bookshelf, but smarter. - PDF reader with dark mode, sepia mode & night reading theme - Word document viewer — open DOCX and DOC files instantly - Organize books into 16+ built-in categories: Academic, Work, Science, Photography & more - Create unlimited custom categories to match your life - Search your entire library in seconds - Beautiful shelf view or clean grid view — your choice --- POWERFUL PDF READER & DOCUMENT VIEWER Read your documents with a feature-rich viewer built for focus and comfort: - Full PDF reader with smooth page scrolling and zoom - Built-in text search with highlighting — find anything instantly - Dark mode, sepia mode, and normal reading themes - Screen brightness control for comfortable night reading - PDF table of contents navigation - Highlight text and add sticky notes with color-coded annotations - Auto-saves your page and reading progress every session --- BUILD A READING STREAK & REACH YOUR GOALS The reading habit tracker that keeps you consistent: - Daily reading goal — set your target in minutes and crush it every day - Reading streak counter — track consecutive reading days and beat your best - Streak protection and milestone badges to keep you motivated - "Continue Reading" carousel — jump back into any book with one tap - Smart reading reminders — schedule notifications on specific days and times - Never lose your reading momentum --- DEEP READING STATISTICS & ANALYTICS Know your reading habits better than ever: - Total reading time across your entire library - 7-day bar chart and 30-day reading heatmap (like GitHub for books) - Books finished, in progress, and not started at a glance - Reading pace: average daily reading over 7 days and 30 days - Time spent per category — see where you focus most - Top books ranked by time read - Reading history preserved even for deleted books - Set and monitor daily reading goals with progress tracking --- NOTES, HIGHLIGHTS & ANNOTATIONS Capture your thoughts as you read: - Write and save personal notes for any book - Create color-coded sticky note stickers on any page - Export your highlights and notes - Your annotations are private and stored locally on your device --- SMART READING REMINDERS Build the reading habit with intelligent reminders: - Schedule recurring reading reminders for any book - Choose specific days of the week and exact times - Tap the notification to open exactly where you left off - Never forget to read again PERFECT FOR: - Students tracking academic reading and research papers - Professionals organizing work documents and reports - Book lovers building a daily reading habit - Language learners reading PDFs and study materials - Writers and researchers managing reference documents - Anyone who wants to read more and procrastinate less WHY READERS LOVE PDFSHELF: - No cloud required — your books and data stay private on your device - Import from Files app, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, or any source - Dark, beautiful design that's easy on the eyes - Works offline — read anywhere, no internet needed - Lightweight and fast — no bloat, just reading - Free to download with an optional Pro upgrade THE READING HABIT TRACKER FOR SERIOUS READERS. PDFShelf supports: PDF, DOCX, DOC, and image files. Reading data is stored locally on your device.

Screenshots

Simplenote4 screens
PDF Shelf4 screens

Verdict

The call

Simplenote and PDF Shelf are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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 PDF Shelf sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Simplenote versus PDF Shelf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimplenotePDF Shelf
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (4.3K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews86.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings4.3K — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAutomatticYoussef Bouhouch

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

PDF Shelf

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

PDF Shelf

Subscriptions2
  • PDFShelf Pro — Monthly$2.991 Month
  • PDFShelf Pro — Yearly$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Documents Shelf Life time$49.99

Questions

Is Simplenote free?
Simplenote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PDF Shelf free?
PDF Shelf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Simplenote or PDF Shelf have ads?
Neither Simplenote nor PDF Shelf shows ads.

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