Comparison

abcNotes Full Version vs Notes

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

Head to head
About

abcNotes Full Version

This app allows you to create stylish and functional notes and to-do lists with a realistic paper sticky note feel. It offers extensive customization options for appearance and functionality, including iCloud synchronization and checklist management.

Highlights
  • iCloud Synchronization
  • Checklist style notes
  • Customizable appearance (backgrounds, skins, icons)
  • Virtual desktops
  • Scale, rotate, and drag notes
  • Email and share notes
  • Save notes as images
Read full description

• iCloud Synchronization between iOS and MacOS X! • Checklist style notes! Manage your tasks directly on notes. abcNotes was designed to become your stylish and highly customizable, functional and easy to use assistant in taking notes and managing To Do lists. abcNotes is an awesome note taking application! It takes advantage of unique iOS devices touchscreen preserving realistic look & feel of paper sticky notes. abc Notes - Checklist & Sticky Note Application for iPhone and iPad (share, email and synch your lists, memos, projects and school notebooks) HINT: To make a checklist note: Double tap the note to edit it. Tap the Note Properties button (blue one with tools icon). Find the checklist switch next to text alignment toggles. The total number of unchecked items is displayed as badge on abcNotes icon. BEAUTIFUL APPEARANCE: • 88 backgrounds to choose from • 45 note skins • 27 badge designs & 115 icons EXTREMELY FUNCTIONAL: • 15 virtual desktops • Scale, rotate and drag notes • Easy to edit, duplicate, move between desktops • Supports any iPad orientation SHARE YOUR NOTES: • Email notes and desktops • Copy note image to any application • Synchronize notes between iOS devices • Save notes as image and place to lock or home screen No more boring note lists – abcNotes brings you the ability to make REAL notes on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Put everything you need to remember into abcNotes! View you notes the way you want! Rotate your abcNotes to any angle you wish! abcNotes is great for shopping lists, student class notebook, to record lecture and interview notes or to track projects, recordings and more tasks at home, school and university (class or homework). Please feel free to contact us at alsedi.apple@gmail.com if you have suggestions, feature requests, or bug reports.

About

Notes

Capture your thoughts, ideas, and important information with a versatile note-taking app. Attach various file types, scan documents, create checklists, and even sketch directly within your notes. Organize with folders, tags, and smart searches, and collaborate with others on shared notes.

Highlights
  • Add attachments (PDFs, images, links)
  • Scan paper documents
  • Create checklists
  • Sketch with finger or stylus
  • Search text in notes and handwriting
  • Collaborate on shared notes
  • Quick Note feature
Features
Read full description

Notes is the best place to jot down quick thoughts or to save longer notes filled with checklists, images, web links, scanned documents, handwritten notes, or sketches. And with iCloud, it's easy to keep all your devices in sync, so you’ll always have your notes with you. Features Powerful note-taking • Add attachments - PDFs, photos, maps, web links, and more. • Record and transcribe audio directly into a note. • Scan paper documents with the built-in document scanner. • Secure sensitive or personal data in a locked note. • Create checklists. Make a grocery list, a wish list, or a to-do list, then tap to check off items as you go. • Apply different text styles, such as heading or body, bulleted lists, highlighting, and more. • Tap next to section headers to reveal a chevron to collapse text. • Add tables to quickly organize information. • Use your finger, or Apple Pencil on a compatible iPad, to sketch right in your note or an inline PDF. Choose from a variety of brush styles and colors, and add lines and grids to a note for easier writing and drawing. • Take a Quick Note without opening the app - add Quick Note to your Control Center, swipe up from the bottom right corner with an Apple Pencil on iPad, or use Fn-Q on a keyboard. Organize and search • Search for text in notes, your handwriting, and even inside scanned documents and photos like receipts or bills. • Link from one note to another to connect ideas, content, or any information. Try typing >> for a shortcut to add links while writing in your note. • Keep your notes in folders and subfolders, or add tags to categorize them. Type or handwrite tags directly in your note - like #cooking or #expenses. • Automatically organize notes in a Smart Folder based on filters. Create rules to filter for Date Created, Checklists, Attachments, and more. Collaborate • Collaborate on entire shared folders or on specific shared notes. • Mention friends to notify them of important updates and link them directly to a shared note. • See what others added into a shared note while you were away with Activity view, a day-to-day list summary of activity from each collaborator. Notes for Apple Watch • View all of your iCloud notes right from your wrist; you can also pin notes, complete checklist items, or create new notes with dictation or Siri. Certain features are available only in select languages and regions.

Screenshots

abcNotes Full Version4 screens
Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Notes at Free against abcNotes Full Version's $2.99. Notes also leads on ratings volume (641K vs 882) and device support (5 vs 3). abcNotes Full Version's advantage is review sentiment (86% vs 51%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months). On rating, 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

Notes is free to download; abcNotes Full Version costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for abcNotes Full Version against 4.8 for Notes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notes has 641K ratings behind it against 882, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of abcNotes Full Version's written reviews are positive against 51% of Notes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

abcNotes Full Version ships an update every 2 months, Notes every 9 months. Both last shipped on September 27, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
abcNotes Full Version versus Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterabcNotes Full VersionNotes
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (882 ratings)4.8 (641K ratings)
Positive reviews86.1% of reviews — better51.2% of reviews
Number of ratings882641K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperALSEDI GroupApple

Customer experience

abcNotes Full Version

All ratings882 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral3.2%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews1,089 reviews
Positive86.1%
Neutral7.1%
Negative6.8%

Notes

All ratings640,678 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews4,901 reviews
Positive51.2%
Neutral10.9%
Negative37.9%

Bugs and requests

abcNotes Full Version

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Notes

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Notes randomly disappearing or not syncing
  • Cursor jumping around when editing text
  • Typing lag and performance issues
  • Inconsistent behavior when adding images
  • Formatting problems when pasting content

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add undo/redo functionality
  • Improve table formatting and calculations
  • Allow custom folder colors and icons
  • Implement a page view for longer notes
  • Integrate with Reminders app for to-do lists
Show 1 more
  • Provide more drawing/annotation tools

In-app purchases

None

abcNotes Full Version

No in-app purchases

None

Notes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is abcNotes Full Version free?
abcNotes Full Version costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Notes free?
Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, abcNotes Full Version or Notes?
abcNotes Full Version and Notes are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 882 and 641K ratings respectively.
Do abcNotes Full Version or Notes have ads?
Neither abcNotes Full Version nor Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, abcNotes Full Version or Notes?
abcNotes Full Version ships an update every 2 months, and Notes every 9 months. Most recently, abcNotes Full Version was updated on September 27, 2026 and Notes on September 27, 2026.

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