Comparison

Mental Note for iPad ๛ vs Calendar. Simple Calendars

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

Head to head
About

Mental Note for iPad ๛

This app transforms your iPad into a versatile digital notepad. Seamlessly combine text, drawings, pictures, and voice recordings on a single page. Capture ideas in any format and share them easily.

Highlights
  • Combine text, pictures, audio, and drawings
  • Freehand sketching with multiple colors
  • Organize notes with tags
  • Password protect private notes
  • Export notes in PDF, text, and other formats
  • Share notes via email and cloud services
Read full description

"...a true notepad experience that may help you make a clean break from the pencil-and-paper era." -New York Times. Users describe Mental Note as "the only notepad app... that's actually better than, and as simple as, a pen and paper." It's "the future of note taking", and "a big sketchpad... [to] free-associate and put stuff down in any format". Mental Note for iPad brings the future closer with an even bigger sketchpad for you to capture your ideas on. Turn your iPad into a digital notepad.  Combine pictures, voice recordings, drawings and text - all on the same page, in any order you choose. An idea... a flash - a moment of genius.  When a thought hits, and you have to remember it, why limit how you record it?  The more context and sensory details you can capture, the clearer the idea can be put down. Use pictures, audio, sketching and text together on the same page... a digital page that can be shared with anyone. Mental Note allows you to capture ideas as they happen: use pictures, dictate, add text, sketch on anything.  Ideas clarified. Creativity captured. FEATURES - Draw with your finger using multiple colours and widths on top of pictures, text, or anywhere else on the page. Zoom in to sketch fine details. - Choose a picture from your album and add it to the page. - Add audio to the page by recording with the built-in microphone. Continue to edit your note while recording. - Organize your notes using tags. - Password protect your private notes and flag your important ones. - Attach Calendar events to your notes. - Undo, redo anything in the note by shaking the device. - Delete note sections using the toolbar button or by swiping any note section. - Move a note section by swiping and then dragging it to its new location. - Length of a note is limited only by device memory. - Export in a variety of formats including PDF, text, Mental Note format, and more. Send using email, iCloud, Dropbox, and more. * Send a note in Mental Note format so the note may be imported into another person's Mental Note app. * Using email, export a complete note directly from Mental Note as either a PDF document or a picture (each audio recording is attached to the email as a separate file). You can also email just the text from your note. - Export your notes and backups to your iCloud and/or Dropbox account. - Share a note with your friends using most installed apps. - Map the location a note was created at (if location services are enabled). - Change the size and font of the text in your notes. - Change the color and background of your notes. - Numerous other configuration options. THIS VERSION IS OPTIMIZED FOR iPad. FOR iPhone, PLEASE SEE Mental Note - the digital notepad. Read more: www.zymbiotic.com X @zymbiotic facebook.com/zymbiotic

About

Calendar. Simple Calendars

Organize your schedule across Apple devices with a user-friendly interface. Customize with color themes, view week numbers, and use interactive widgets to manage your day, month, and year efficiently.

Highlights
  • Cross-platform sync (Mac, iPhone, iPad)
  • Interactive home screen widget
  • Customizable color themes
  • Week number display option
  • Intuitive user interface
Features
Read full description

Cross-Platform Convenience: Just Calendar seamlessly integrates with your Mac, iPhone, and iPad, providing a consistent and user-friendly calendar experience across all your Apple devices. Interactive Widget: Say goodbye to the hassle of opening your calendar app just to check the date. With Just Calendar, you can enjoy an interactive widget that allows you to switch between months directly from your home screen. Personalized Color Themes: We understand that everyone has their own style and preferences. Just Calendar offers six vibrant accent colors to choose from, so you can customize your calendar to match your personality or mood. Make your calendar as unique as you are. Week Number Display: Stay organized and plan your weeks effectively with the option to show or hide week numbers. Whether you rely on week numbers for work or simply find them helpful for your personal planning, Just Calendar gives you the flexibility to decide. User-Friendly Design: Just Calendar boasts an intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes managing your schedule a breeze. Whether you're a seasoned calendar pro or just getting started, our app is designed to be accessible and easy to use. Stay Organized, Stay in Control: Just Calendar empowers you to take charge of your schedule and stay organized with ease. Experience the convenience of a cross-platform calendar app that caters to your unique needs.

Screenshots

Calendar. Simple Calendars4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Calendar. Simple Calendars at 5.0 against Mental Note for iPad ๛'s 2.7. Calendar. Simple Calendars also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months). Mental Note for iPad ๛'s advantage is ratings volume (6 vs 2). On ads 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

Mental Note for iPad ๛ costs $4.99 and Calendar. Simple Calendars $1.99 up front. Mental Note for iPad ๛ sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Calendar. Simple Calendars asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Calendar. Simple Calendars holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Mental Note for iPad ๛'s written reviews are positive against 68% of Calendar. Simple Calendars's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mental Note for iPad ๛ ships an update every 5 months, Calendar. Simple Calendars monthly. The most recent releases landed on July 29, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
Mental Note for iPad ๛ versus Calendar. Simple Calendars: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMental Note for iPad ๛Calendar. Simple Calendars
Price$4.99$1.99 — better
Rating2.7 (6 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews51.7% of reviews68.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank—#188 — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZymbiotic TechnologiesVitaly Kuz'menko

Customer experience

Mental Note for iPad ๛

All ratings6 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews149 reviews
Positive51.7%
Neutral22.8%
Negative25.5%

Calendar. Simple Calendars

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews76 reviews
Positive68.4%
Neutral9.2%
Negative22.4%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Mental Note for iPad ๛

One-time3
  • Paper Customization feature$2.99
  • Straight Line Drawing feature$3.99
  • Dark Mode Override feature$3.99
None

Calendar. Simple Calendars

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mental Note for iPad ๛ free?
Mental Note for iPad ๛ costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Calendar. Simple Calendars free?
Calendar. Simple Calendars costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Mental Note for iPad ๛ or Calendar. Simple Calendars?
Calendar. Simple Calendars is rated higher. Mental Note for iPad ๛ averages 2.7 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Calendar. Simple Calendars averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Mental Note for iPad ๛ or Calendar. Simple Calendars have ads?
Neither Mental Note for iPad ๛ nor Calendar. Simple Calendars shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mental Note for iPad ๛ or Calendar. Simple Calendars?
Mental Note for iPad ๛ ships an update every 5 months, and Calendar. Simple Calendars monthly. Most recently, Mental Note for iPad ๛ was updated on July 29, 2026 and Calendar. Simple Calendars on September 17, 2026.

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