Comparison

Popplet vs Notepad

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

Head to head
About

Popplet

Visually capture and organize your thoughts, ideas, and information. This tool is ideal for students and professionals to brainstorm, plan projects, and learn by creating connections between facts, images, and thoughts.

Highlights
  • Unlimited local boards
  • Capture notes with text, images, or drawings
  • Link notes visually
  • Export as PDF/JPEG
  • Pinch to zoom
  • Multi-language support
  • Public boards for inspiration
Features
Read full description

Popplet is the simplest tool to capture and organize your ideas. With Popplet you can quick jot down your ideas and sort them visually. Apple has featured us in "Tools for Teachers", "New and Noteworthy", "What's Hot" and "Get Stuff Done" Popplet is great for school and for learning in the classroom and at home. Students use Popplet to think and learn visually. By capturing facts, thoughts, and images, students learn to create relationships between them and generate new ideas. Popplet is also great for work and for generating ideas in the office or on the go. Professionals use Popplet to generate ideas and plan projects. By brainstorming visually or jotting down notes, Popplet helps professionals organize their thoughts and generate their next big idea. With this version of Popplet you can have as many Popplet boards as you would like on your iPhone or iPad. 
People use Popplet to: + Study: School Projects, Class Notes + Explore Ideas: Brainstorming, Mindmapping + Plan Projects: Diagrams, Process Charts + Collect Inspiration: Mood Boards, Scrapbook, Travel Plans Key Features: + Unlimited local boards + Capture notes in text + Capture notes with images + Capture notes with a drawing tool + Change the color of your notes and Popplet board + Link notes to each other visually + Export as PDF as JPEG + Pinch to zoom and expand + Multi Language Support + See the Popplet boards of other users through the 'Public' tab to get inspired These are additional features if you sign-up and create an 'online' account: + 10 free 'online' boards accessible through a web browser at www.popplet.com + Ability to collaborate with other Popplet users on your online boards 
We are committed to continually improving and updating Popplet and would love to hear what you think. Come visit us at www.popplet.com or email us at support@popplet.com. You can also follow us on Twitter at @poppletny! NOTE - UPGRADING FROM POPPLET LITE : If you are upgrading from Popplet Lite, you can transfer your Popplet by choosing "Select All" from the gear menu and then "Copy". Then switch to Popplet (the full version) and select "Paste" from the gear menu.

About

Notepad

Capture thoughts, create to-do lists, and organize ideas with a versatile digital notebook. Supports handwriting, text notes, and secure cloud syncing. Personalize your experience with custom themes and icons.

Highlights
  • Create to-do lists with checkboxes
  • Unlimited text notes
  • Handwritten notes with Apple Pencil
  • Organize notes into folders
  • Pin and sort notes
  • iCloud backup and sync
  • Advanced search functionality
Features
Read full description

Jot down notes and organize your ideas with Notepad—the classic notepad writing app designed for keeping track of everything that matters. [ TO-DO LISTS ] • Create beautiful task lists with interactive checkboxes to track your daily tasks and goals. • Drag and drop to reorder items—organize your to-dos exactly how you want them. • Enjoy the satisfying experience of checking off completed tasks as you get things done. • Perfect for shopping lists, daily chores, project tasks, and everything in between. [ NOTES ] • Create unlimited text notes with rich formatting—quickly and easily. • Tap anywhere to start typing—it's simple, fast, and always saved automatically. • Works perfectly in both light and dark mode. [ RICH TEXT FORMATTING ] • Style your notes with bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough. • Choose from 7 text colors and 7 highlight colors to make important details stand out. • Pick from 18 handpicked font families—each with proper bold and italic variants. • A convenient formatting toolbar sits right above the keyboard for fast access. • Switch fonts anytime—your existing formatting is preserved. [ HANDWRITTEN NOTES WITH APPLE PENCIL ] • Capture your thoughts naturally with fluid, responsive handwriting that feels like pen on paper. • Create beautiful handwritten notes, diagrams, and drawings with realistic ink flow and pressure sensitivity. • Choose from fountain pens, pencils, and highlighters with customizable colors for a personalized writing experience. • Enjoy our adaptive paper grid that works perfectly in any orientation or device. [ FOLDERS - ORGANIZE YOUR NOTES ] • Organize notes into folders and subfolders with a clean, nested structure. • Assign a unique color to each folder, making it simple to categorize and find notes at a glance. • Drag-and-drop to reorder, and move multiple notes easily. [ PIN & SORT NOTES ] • Pin important notes to the top and sort by date, custom order, or alphabetical order. [ BACKUP WITH ICLOUD ] • Keep notes safe with automatic backups and iCloud sync across your devices. [ PERSONALIZE YOUR NOTEPAD ] • Give your notepad a personal touch with unique app icons, custom colors, stylish fonts, and a sleek dark mode for night owls. [ FIND NOTES FAST ] • Use advanced search tools and text highlighting to track down exactly what you're looking for. [ KEEP YOUR NOTES SAFE ] • Lock your notes with FaceID or TouchID for extra privacy. [ SHARE & PRINT ] • Send your notes to other apps like Mail or WhatsApp, or print them directly from Notepad. [ PREMIUM FEATURES FOR POWER USERS ] • Go ad-free, unlock exclusive themes, and get advanced sorting options with Premium. Notepad combines the nostalgic feel of a simple notebook with the functionality of today's tech. Use Notepad for everything from brainstorming ideas and setting personal reminders to creating shopping lists, to-do lists, grocery lists, chores lists, appointment notes, class notes, daily goals, password hints, birthday reminders, packing lists, travel itineraries, and more. Write, organize, and stay on top of everything that matters—download Notepad now and stay productive your way! Terms of Use & Privacy Policy: https://www.oldnotepad.com/terms.

Screenshots

Popplet4 screens
Notepad4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Notepad at Free against Popplet's $2.99. Notepad also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.5) and review sentiment (84% vs 54%). Popplet's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and ads (none vs shown). On monetization model and device support 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

Notepad is free to download; Popplet costs $2.99 up front. Notepad sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Popplet asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notepad holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notepad has 29K ratings behind it against 31, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Popplet's written reviews are positive against 84% of Notepad's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Popplet ships an update every 5 months, Notepad every 8 days. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Popplet versus Notepad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPoppletNotepad
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating3.5 (31 ratings)4.8 (29K ratings) — better
Positive reviews54.2% of reviews84.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3129K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 8 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB74 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNotion1381802 Ontario Inc.

Customer experience

Popplet

All ratings31 ratings
Positive58.1%
Neutral6.5%
Negative35.5%
Written reviews288 reviews
Positive54.2%
Neutral11.5%
Negative34.4%

Notepad

All ratings28,508 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral1.8%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews972 reviews
Positive84.3%
Neutral4.4%
Negative11.3%

User reviews

Popplet

From 31 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 🎨 Good for brainstorming and mind mapping
  • 💡 Helpful for organizing thoughts and ideas
  • 🔗 Good for collaborative work

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 🔍 Limited export options
  • 🔒 Sync and online functionality problems
  • 💻 Not optimized for smaller screens
  • 🖌️ Limited drawing and formatting features

Notepad

From 29K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 📝 Useful for notes, lists, and reminders
  • 🎨 Customizable font and color options
  • 💾 Reliable for storing important information
  • 🔍 Helpful search functionality

Room to improve

  • 💰 Premium subscription required to remove ads
  • 🐛 Occasional data loss or note disappearance
  • 📤 Lack of sharing or exporting options
  • 🔒 No password protection for individual notes

Bugs and requests

Popplet

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes when deleting popplets with text
  • Issues with importing and exporting popplets
  • Text formatting problems when exporting
  • Syncing and connectivity problems
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add more shape options for nodes
  • Improve text editing and formatting capabilities
  • Implement better sync and collaboration features
  • Provide more export options (e.g., OPML, RTF)
  • Add spell check and proofreading tools
Show 1 more
  • Introduce a presentation mode for sharing popplets

Notepad

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Notes randomly disappearing
  • Ads covering up the note-taking area

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add drawing/highlighting tools
  • Integrate with calendar and contacts
  • Ability to sort and organize notes
  • Option to password protect specific notes

In-app purchases

None

Popplet

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Notepad

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Premium Membership$1.991 Month
  • Monthly Premium Subscription$2.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium Subscription$14.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Yearly Premium Subscription$19.991 Year
One-time3
  • Lifetime Premium Membership$19.99
  • Lifetime Premium Membership$29.99
  • Lifetime Premium Membership$49.99

Questions

Is Popplet free?
Popplet costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Notepad free?
Notepad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Popplet or Notepad?
Notepad is rated higher. Popplet averages 3.5 out of 5 from 31 ratings, while Notepad averages 4.8 from 29K ratings.
Do Popplet or Notepad have ads?
Notepad shows ads; Popplet does not.
Which is updated more often, Popplet or Notepad?
Popplet ships an update every 5 months, and Notepad every 8 days. Most recently, Popplet was updated on October 15, 2026 and Notepad on October 15, 2026.

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