# Brainwave vs Simple Notes

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Simple Notes at 82% against Brainwave's 20%. Simple Notes also leads on rating (4.0 vs 2.0) and ratings volume (39 vs 1). Brainwave's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $2.99) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Brainwave costs $0.99 and Simple Notes $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Simple Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Notes has 39 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of Brainwave's written reviews are positive against 82% of Simple Notes's.

Brainwave ships an update every 3 months, Simple Notes every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Brainwave | Simple Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$0.99** | $2.99 |
| Rating | [2.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brainwave/id400523459/reviews) | **[4.0 (39 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-notes-ultimate-edition/id573135652/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **39** |
| Positive reviews | 20.0% of reviews | **82.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Zymbiotic Technologies](https://appshunter.io/developer/338578112) | [Sadah Software Solutions, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/460047429) |

## What reviewers say

### Brainwave

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brainwave/id400523459)

Capture and organize your thoughts with this note-taking application. Create calendar events, reminders, and export notes in various formats. Protect sensitive information with password protection and manage your data with backup and restore options.

**Highlights:** Organize notes with tags, Password protect sensitive notes, Create calendar events and reminders, Export notes to PDF or text, Supports various links (web, phone, maps), Backup and restore notes

**In-app purchases:** none


### Simple Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-notes-ultimate-edition/id573135652)

A powerful yet simple note-taking application offering cross-device syncing, customizable themes, and robust security features. It allows users to set reminders, highlight text, and even save notes as images.

**Highlights:** Cross-device syncing (Dropbox/iCloud), Zoomable font sizes, Searchable highlighted text, Note reminders, Password protection (AES 256-bit), Shake to undo/redo, Customizable themes and fonts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Brainwave free?

Brainwave costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Simple Notes free?

Simple Notes costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Brainwave or Simple Notes?

Simple Notes is rated higher. Brainwave averages 2.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Simple Notes averages 4.0 from 39 ratings.

### Do Brainwave or Simple Notes have ads?

Neither Brainwave nor Simple Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Brainwave or Simple Notes?

Brainwave ships an update every 3 months, and Simple Notes every 2 months. Most recently, Brainwave was updated on October 1, 2026 and Simple Notes on October 13, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*