# Notepad vs Nano Notes

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Nano Notes at 83% against Notepad's 41%. Nano Notes also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.7) and ads (none vs shown). Notepad's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Nano Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nano Notes has 150 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 41% of Notepad's written reviews are positive against 83% of Nano Notes's.

Notepad ships an update every 2 weeks, Nano Notes every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notepad | Nano Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.7 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notepad/id495125972/reviews) | **[4.8 (150 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nano-notes/id1445942906/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 10 | **150** |
| Positive reviews | 40.7% of reviews | **83.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 26 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [YONGSEOK LEE](https://appshunter.io/developer/453718968) | [Vincent Tourraine](https://appshunter.io/developer/308598599) |

## What reviewers say

### Notepad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notepad/id495125972)

Capture fleeting thoughts and precious memories with a focus on simple recording and easy retrieval. Features include instant note-taking, automatic saving, categorization, keyword search, and customizable themes and font sizes.

**Highlights:** Instant note-taking, Automatic saving, Categorization, Keyword search, Customizable themes, Adjustable font size

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Fantastic - sort order choices works great
- 👍 Simple and very comfortable!
- 👍 Easy to use for writing stories and notes
- 👍 Great for just simple notes or essays

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Updated app. NOW ALL MY NOTES ARE GONE!!!!
- 🐛 Cannot flip back and forth from a source to copy/paste without running into annoying ads
- 🐛 Why is there no longer a "scrolling signifier" on the side
- 🐛 The search feature option disappears when in use
- 🐛 Notepad Update gone bad

**Reported bugs**

- Updated app. NOW ALL MY NOTES ARE GONE!!!!
- Cannot flip back and forth from a source to copy/paste without running into annoying ads
- The search feature option disappears when in use
- The new update is causing crashes
- App not opening saved notes anymore

**Requested features**

- Add search feature for easier finding in notes
- Add pictures and videos, and let us resize them
- Add landscape mode
- Add undo button
- Add dark mode option


### Nano Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nano-notes/id1445942906)

Capture thoughts and ideas instantly with a simple note-taking tool. Access and review your notes conveniently on your Apple Watch.

**Highlights:** Quick note creation, Apple Watch access, Simple interface, Instant synchronization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notepad free?

Notepad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Nano Notes free?

Nano Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Notepad or Nano Notes?

Nano Notes is rated higher. Notepad averages 2.7 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Nano Notes averages 4.8 from 150 ratings.

### Do Notepad or Nano Notes have ads?

Notepad shows ads; Nano Notes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Notepad or Nano Notes?

Notepad ships an update every 2 weeks, and Nano Notes every 3 months. Most recently, Notepad was updated on September 20, 2026 and Nano Notes on September 27, 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.*