Comparison

Occasions 3 vs NotePlan

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

Head to head
About

Occasions 3

Never forget important dates like birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays again. This app helps you track special events, set multiple custom alerts, and even send well wishes directly from your device. It offers seamless integration with your contacts and calendar, with options for customization and convenient access via widgets and Apple Watch.

Highlights
  • Sync events with Contacts
  • Multiple custom alerts per event
  • Categorized holiday selection
  • Add events to device calendar
  • Send messages directly from app
  • Customizable themes and icons
  • Widgets and Apple Watch app
  • Automatic iCloud backup
Features
Read full description

Remembering birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and other special events is now easier than ever. Occasions is the best way to keep track of and remember important events in your busy life. You can also send your well wishes to friends and family, right from the app. Here’s what you can do with Occasions as your special-events manager: • Sync birthdays, anniversaries and other events with Contacts. • Set up to 3 alerts for each event, and customize alerts for individual events. • Choose from a wide selection of holidays, conveniently categorized by country and religion. • Add events from Occasions to your device’s built-in calendar. • Create events that are independent of Contacts. • Send messages to friends and loved ones via phone, email or text, right from the app. • Change the app's look and feel with themes and app icons. • Glance at the widgets and Apple Watch app to see timely event information. • Automatically back up your data to iCloud.

About

NotePlan

Organize your tasks, notes, and calendar in one unified app. Quickly plan your day with Markdown, link notes bi-directionally, and stay on top of your to-dos with powerful review and search features. Seamlessly integrates with your existing calendars and syncs across all your Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Unified task, note, and calendar view
  • Markdown for quick task and note creation
  • Bi-directional note linking
  • Calendar integration (iCloud, Google, Exchange)
  • Flexible recurring tasks
  • Global Command Bar for fast navigation
  • Plaintext note storage
Features
Read full description

Having trouble planning your day, managing your to-do list, and organizing your notes? Always jumping between apps and losing track of what to do and where you put things? Say hello to NotePlan! NotePlan lets you manage everything in one place: your tasks, notes, and calendar. Perfect for project managers, designers, researchers, writers, students, or anyone who wants to be organized and efficient. QUICKLY PLAN YOUR DAY WITH MARKDOWN • Plan your day by seeing your calendar, notes, and tasks in a single view • Create tasks and notes quickly with Markdown • Add #tags to organize tasks and notes • Use @mentions to find people • Reschedule to-do items easily • Create flexible recurring tasks • Work faster with autocomplete BUILD YOUR NETWORK OF NOTES • Create your own network of notes • Organize any way you want to: from simple folders over P.A.R.A. to a Zettelkasten system • Bi-directional notes: link your calendar and your notes in any direction, automatically • Cross-reference and link notes easily STAY ON TOP OF THINGS WITH REVIEW • Search all tasks and notes, instantly • See all open tasks with the click of a button • Get a list of overdue to-do items • See upcoming tasks at a glance • Create custom filters with your own queries using status, #tags, @mentions, or even text SEAMLESS INTEGRATION WITH YOUR CALENDAR • Create events and reminders right in NotePlan • Support for iCloud, Google, and Exchange calendars • Time-block tasks on your calendar simply by typing AVAILABLE ON MAC, IPHONE & IPAD • Sync everything between your Apple devices • Use any sync method you like: CloudKit or iCloud Drive • A single subscription for all your devices OPEN, PRIVATE & FAST • All your notes are stored in plaintext so you're never locked in • Your information is private and cannot be accessed • Enjoy lightning speed thanks to local files and native apps ANY THEME YOU WANT • Choose from a variety of built-in themes • Work with light or dark versions • Create your own custom theme SHORTCUTS FOR MAXIMUM SPEED • Extended Markdown syntax support with customization options • Move around without ever leaving the keyboard • Find everything with the Global Command Bar NotePlan is developed independently and prioritizes user features and requests. We have long-term roadmaps and listen to customers to improve the apps. - - - - - Price may vary by location. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. After purchase, manage your subscriptions in App Store Account Settings. - - - - - Email: hello@noteplan.co Web: noteplan.co Discord: https://discord.gg/D4268MT Twitter: NotePlanApp Reddit: reddit.com/r/NotePlanApp Learn NotePlan course: https://noteplan.eo.page/newsletter Terms of use: http://noteplan.co/tos/ Privacy policy: https://noteplan.co/privacy/

Screenshots

Occasions 34 screens
NotePlan4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: NotePlan at Free against Occasions 3's $2.99. NotePlan also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (85% vs 74%). Occasions 3's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On rating, ratings volume, ads 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

NotePlan is free to download; Occasions 3 costs $2.99 up front. NotePlan sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Occasions 3 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Occasions 3 against 4.8 for NotePlan. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.4K and 1.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of Occasions 3's written reviews are positive against 85% of NotePlan's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Occasions 3 ships an update every 2 months, NotePlan monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Occasions 3 versus NotePlan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOccasions 3NotePlan
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (2.4K ratings) — better4.8 (1.5K ratings)
Positive reviews73.9% of reviews85.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.4K — better1.5K
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS18.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB210 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHand Carved Code, LLCNotePlan LLC

Customer experience

Occasions 3

All ratings2,366 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral1.5%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews284 reviews
Positive73.9%
Neutral8.5%
Negative17.6%

NotePlan

All ratings1,506 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral1.9%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews472 reviews
Positive85.0%
Neutral4.7%
Negative10.4%

User reviews

Occasions 3

From 2.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Useful calendar
  • 👍 Outstanding app
  • 👍 Excellent app
  • 👍 Great app
  • 👍 Reliable and fun to use

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Annoying app
  • 🐛 Duplicate notifications
  • 🐛 Sync issues
  • 🐛 Duplicate notifications
  • 🐛 Duplicate notifications

NotePlan

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful note-taking and task management
  • 👍 Seamless calendar and reminders integration
  • 💡 Flexible and customizable workflow
  • 🔒 Secure and open-format data storage
  • 👍 Responsive and helpful developer

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Occasional sync and performance issues
  • 👤 Limited collaboration and sharing features

Bugs and requests

Occasions 3

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Duplicate notifications
  • Sync issues
  • Data loss
  • Compatibility issues with older devices
  • Facebook SDK error

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add military birthdays
  • Repeat functionality
  • Sync with Apple Watch
  • Separate categories for events
  • Zodiac sign display
Show 1 more
  • Public occasion lists

NotePlan

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Inconsistent sync between devices
  • Crashes when opening certain files

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved iPad and mobile app experience
  • Better integration with other productivity apps
  • More automation and scripting capabilities
  • Weekly or monthly calendar view

In-app purchases

None

Occasions 3

No in-app purchases

8 purchases

NotePlan

Subscriptions8
  • Personal Weekly$4.997 Days
  • Personal Monthly$6.991 Month
  • Personal Monthly1 Month trial$11.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Personal Monthly2 variants$12.001 Month
  • Personal Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Personal Annual7 Days trial2 variants$99.991 Year
  • Personal Annual1 Month trial$119.991 Year
  • Business Class1 Month trial$199.991 Year

Questions

Is Occasions 3 free?
Occasions 3 costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is NotePlan free?
NotePlan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Occasions 3 or NotePlan?
Occasions 3 is rated higher. Occasions 3 averages 4.9 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while NotePlan averages 4.8 from 1.5K ratings.
Do Occasions 3 or NotePlan have ads?
Neither Occasions 3 nor NotePlan shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Occasions 3 or NotePlan?
Occasions 3 ships an update every 2 months, and NotePlan monthly. Most recently, Occasions 3 was updated on September 22, 2026 and NotePlan on September 23, 2026.

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