Comparison

SimpleMind Pro vs ZoomNotes

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

Head to head
About

SimpleMind Pro

Organize your thoughts, capture ideas, and generate new concepts with a beautiful and intuitive mind mapping tool. Seamlessly synchronize your maps across devices and platforms, and enhance them with media and documents.

Highlights
  • Free-form and auto layout options
  • Cross-platform synchronization
  • Add images, notes, and voice memos
  • Share maps as PDF or Image
  • Customizable styles and themes
  • Collapse/expand branches for overview
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Mind mapping helps you organize your thoughts, remember information and generate new ideas. We've created a beautiful, intuitive app, so you can mind map wherever you are and whenever you want. SimpleMind Pro is designed to synchronize your Mind Maps across platforms. For example (as a separate purchase) for Mac - https://simplemind.eu/download/full-edition/ Highlights • Easy to use. • Continuously fine-tuned based on customer feedback. • Trustworthy and reliable: 15+ years of updates and improvements. • Used in a wide range of applications: business, education, legal and medical. • Unique free-form layout or various auto layouts. • Seamless synchronization using clouds. • Add media and documents. • Share Mind Maps. • Change and customize the style of the Mind Map. • Tools to help you maintain overview. Create ○ place topics anywhere you want in the free-form layout ○ or use auto layout - great for brainstorming ○ reorganize and restructure using drag, rotate, re-arrange or reconnect ○ use checkboxes, progress bars, auto-numbering ○ connect any two topics with a crosslink ○ label relations ○ virtually unlimited page size and number of elements ○ supports multiple Mind Maps on one page Add media and documents ○ images and photos ○ notes ○ icons (stock, emojis or custom) ○ link to a topic, mind map, contact, file or webpage ○ voice memos ○ videos Seamless synchronization using clouds ○ sync mind maps with your iPads and iPhones ○ sync mind maps across platforms. For example with Mac - as a separate purchase ○ sync using iCloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, 坚果云 - Nutstore and Nextcloud Share your Mind Map ○ for example as PDF or Image ○ outline, can be imported in word processors ○ create a slideshow to present your Mind Map (Tablet only) ○ print ○ export to Reminders or Calendar Style your mind map ○ change the appearance by selecting one of the 15+ style sheets ○ create your own style sheets ○ style every detail, exactly how you want it ○ change borders, lines, colors, background color, the checkbox color, and much more Maintain overview ○ collapse and expand branches ○ hide or show branches or topics ○ block out distractions with autofocus ○ highlight branches by displaying branch borders ○ visually group topics with group borders ○ organize your Mind Maps in folders ○ outline view ○ search

About

ZoomNotes

This comprehensive visual note-taking app offers extensive zoom capabilities for creating handwritten notes and sketches on various digital surfaces. It supports PDF annotation, digital planning with calendar integration, and advanced features like sub-pages and bookmarks for organized visual files.

Highlights
  • Extensive zoom range for notes and sketches
  • Write over PDF and Office documents
  • Digital planner creation and calendar integration
  • Sub-pages for hierarchical organization
  • Bookmarks with presentation playback
  • Handwriting recognition for search
  • Layers for content control
Features
Read full description

ZoomNotes is the most comprehensive visual note-taking app with huge zoom range. Make handwritten notes and sketches on virtual paper, huge WhiteBoards , PDF files, images and MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents (via GoogleDrive). Sync your documents between your iPad and iPhone with iCloud. ZoomNotes is compatible with any capacitive stylus pen and also with the top electronic pens on the market including the fabulous Apple Pencil. ZoomNotes Desktop for Mac now also available. Features include: MULTIPLE PEN TYPES There are 8 pen types to choose from including gel, nib, pencil and watercolour each with unlimited line thicknesses. HANDWRITING RECOGNITION Search handwritten notes. DIGITAL PLANNING Either import a planner pdf or use the ‘Custom digital planner’ option to create your own. You can configure a planner to show events and reminders from the Calendar and Reminder apps. SUB-PAGES This unique feature allows you to use ‘pages within pages’. This allows you to use sticky-notes and enables the creation of hierarchical visual files. You can also insert whole pdf files as sub-pages, or import pages from other ZoomNotes documents into a sub-page. BOOKMARKS Bookmarks allow you save views in your documents, and then return to them at a later date. There are animated playback facilities to allow you to present with or to create videos from your document. LINKS Add links between pages, and even between documents. This lets you create your own digital planners, enhance imported pdf planners or create indices. SPLIT_SCREEN Edit and view two documents side by side (or above and below). You can now also have 2 views of the same document. CALENDAR EVENTS Add events/reminders linked to your documents, possibly with alarms. The URL in the event links back to the document in ZoomNotes. HUGE ZOOM RANGE, WHITEBOARD MODE Zoom in and out without arbitrary limits including rotated views. LAYERS Layers let you control what is visible on a page, also options for 'master layers' which show on all pages. WRITE OVER PDF FILES Import and write over PDFs, Microsoft Office files Word, Excel and PowerPoint (via GoogleDrive). UNLIMITED PAPER SIZES AND STYLES Make your page as small or as large as you like. Choose any type of paper with our configurable paper types. FULLY EDITABLE In ZoomNotes, you can select, scale, rotate, shift and flip (mirror) objects. Cut, copy and paste are also available, including between documents, pages and other apps. SHAPES AND ARROWS Regular shapes and arrows (ideal for visual mapping); they can be drawn with the polygon tool or roughly drawn by hand and automatically converted into the exact geometric shape. SYMBOL LIBRARY Fully configurable library of reusable shapes and images. IMAGES AND IMAGE EDITING Insert images (photos) in your documents at any size and scale. Crop, mask, re-sample, edit transparency, scan-correct and deform images. Insert images and videos from camera or photo library. TYPED TEXT Enter typed text via keyboard; with a wide range of fonts and font sizes, font colours, fills and borders. Text can be entered at all zoom scales and can be selected and moved, scaled and rotated. RECORD AND PLAYBACK SOUNDS Including import and export of mp3 files. You can also insert a sound recording on the page to which it relates. Now linked to drawing. SHARE DOCUMENTS Share documents as PDF files, images, videos or ZoomNotes documents (via email, iTunes, clipboard, Dropbox, Twitter and Evernote, Airdrop, iCloud Drive and Open in. USE FOR PRESENTATIONS ZoomNotes is VGA compatible for use with projectors, monitors and AirPlay. MAGNIFICATION WINDOW Write into a zoomed in view whilst still viewing the zoomed out view. There are lots more details including videos or the app in action at www.zoom-notes.com. We respond to every email sent to support@zoom-notes.com

Screenshots

SimpleMind Pro4 screens
ZoomNotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ZoomNotes at every 3 weeks against SimpleMind Pro's every 2 months. ZoomNotes also leads on price ($7.99 vs $10.99). SimpleMind Pro's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and chart position (#87 vs unranked). On review sentiment, ratings volume, 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

SimpleMind Pro costs $10.99 and ZoomNotes $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SimpleMind Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 451 and 907 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 81% of SimpleMind Pro's written reviews are positive against 84% of ZoomNotes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SimpleMind Pro ships an update every 2 months, ZoomNotes every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 10, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
SimpleMind Pro versus ZoomNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimpleMind ProZoomNotes
Price$10.99$7.99 — better
Rating4.7 (451 ratings) — better4.5 (907 ratings)
Positive reviews80.9% of reviews84.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings451907 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#87 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size36 MB149 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerxpt Software & Consulting B.V.Deliverance Software Ltd

Customer experience

SimpleMind Pro

All ratings451 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral1.3%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews769 reviews
Positive80.9%
Neutral7.5%
Negative11.6%

ZoomNotes

All ratings907 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral4.1%
Negative7.2%
Written reviews326 reviews
Positive84.0%
Neutral6.1%
Negative9.8%

Bugs and requests

SimpleMind Pro

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

ZoomNotes

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Randomly deleted text and input
  • Syncing issues with cloud storage
  • Unstable performance after updates
  • Compatibility problems with newer devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Handwriting to text conversion
  • Improved page management
  • Smoother page transitions
  • Customizable keyboard shortcuts
  • Better integration with cloud services
Show 1 more
  • Streamlined UI design

In-app purchases

None

SimpleMind Pro

No in-app purchases

None

ZoomNotes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SimpleMind Pro free?
SimpleMind Pro costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ZoomNotes free?
ZoomNotes costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SimpleMind Pro or ZoomNotes?
SimpleMind Pro is rated higher. SimpleMind Pro averages 4.7 out of 5 from 451 ratings, while ZoomNotes averages 4.5 from 907 ratings.
Do SimpleMind Pro or ZoomNotes have ads?
Neither SimpleMind Pro nor ZoomNotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SimpleMind Pro or ZoomNotes?
SimpleMind Pro ships an update every 2 months, and ZoomNotes every 3 weeks. Most recently, SimpleMind Pro was updated on October 10, 2026 and ZoomNotes on October 10, 2026.

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