# Occasions 3 vs NotePlan

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Occasions 3 | NotePlan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.9 (2.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/occasions-3-reminders/id541109232/reviews)** | [4.8 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteplan-to-do-list-and-notes/id1505432629/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.4K** | 1.5K |
| Positive reviews | 73.9% of reviews | **85.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Subscription |
| Size | 26 MB | 210 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hand Carved Code, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/318103551) | [NotePlan LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1137020763) |

## What reviewers say

### Occasions 3

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/occasions-3-reminders/id541109232)

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:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Annoying app
- 🐛 Duplicate notifications
- 🐛 Sync issues
- 🐛 Duplicate notifications
- 🐛 Duplicate notifications

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- Add military birthdays
- Repeat functionality
- Sync with Apple Watch
- Separate categories for events
- Zodiac sign display


### NotePlan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/noteplan-to-do-list-and-notes/id1505432629)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Personal Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Personal Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Personal Monthly | $11.99 | per month |
| Personal Monthly | $12.00 | per month |
| Personal Annual | $59.99 | per year |
| Personal Annual | $99.99 | per year |
| Personal Annual | $119.99 | per year |
| Business Class | $199.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Inconsistent sync between devices
- Crashes when opening certain files

**Requested features**

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


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