Comparison

Workflowy vs Shared Notes

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

Head to head
About

Workflowy

Capture ideas, manage tasks, and organize your thoughts with an infinitely nestable system. This app offers AI assistance for summarization and brainstorming, along with collaborative features and robust search capabilities. It syncs across devices and works offline, making it a powerful tool for personal and team productivity.

Highlights
  • Infinitely nested lists
  • AI summarization and brainstorming
  • Kanban boards for task management
  • Real-time collaboration and sharing
  • Global search and filtering
  • Offline access and cross-device sync
  • Tagging and mentions
Features
Read full description

Workflowy is a simple, distraction-free app for capturing notes, managing tasks, and organizing your thinking. Infinitely nestable, surprisingly powerful - it helps you manage all the information in your life. With Workflowy you can: • Capture notes and ideas in an instant • Organize complex thinking with infinite nesting • Ask AI to summarize, rewrite, or brainstorm with your notes • Plan and manage tasks with kanban boards • #Tag and @assign items to stay on top of things • Link items across lists - edit once, update everywhere • Share and collaborate in real-time • Upload photos, files, and embed videos • Search and filter your entire Workflowy in seconds Workflowy syncs across all your devices and auto-saves everything. No more missing notes or lost files. Trusted by teams and thinkers at: Atlassian, Slack, The New York Times, and thousands of entrepreneurs, writers, engineers, scientists, and students worldwide. Feature highlights: • Infinitely nested lists • Workflowy AI (chat with notes, AI nodes, quick actions) • Calendar • Kanban boards • Mirrors (live synced copies) • #Tags and @mentions • Date organization with /date shortcuts • Global text search and filtering • Simple sharing and permissions • Works offline • Syncs with desktop and web • One-swipe task completion • File uploads and image attachments • Highlight text and color tags • Item starring • YouTube and X embeds • MFA (Multi-factor authentication) • Expand and collapse lists • Mobile keyboard shortcuts Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/appstore/dev/stdeula/

About

Shared Notes

This app helps couples and friends stay organized with shared lists and notes. It features AI tools to summarize, format, and correct text, along with private, password-protected notes and offline functionality.

Highlights
  • Shared grocery and to-do lists
  • AI summarization and grammar correction
  • Password-protected private notes
  • Offline note-taking and syncing
  • Real-time synchronization
  • Cross-platform compatibility
Features
Read full description

Shared Notes is the simple, secure way to keep your relationship and daily life in sync. Whether it’s a shared grocery list with your partner, a travel plan with friends, or private thoughts you want to lock away, everything is safe here. Now powered by Smart AI, you can tidy up messy notes, fix grammar, and summarize long texts in seconds. WHY COUPLES & FRIENDS LOVE SHARED NOTES: [+] Shared Grocery & To-Do Lists Stop asking "Did you buy the milk?" Create a shared list with your partner or flatmate. When you cross off an item, it syncs instantly to everyone’s phone. Perfect for groceries, household chores, and packing lists. [+] Smart AI Assistant (NEW) Turn messy thoughts into clear plans. • Summarize: Turn long notes into short, clear summaries. • Fix Grammar: Polish your spelling and sentences automatically. • Auto-Format: Convert a rough paragraph into a clean checklist with one tap. [+] Private & Password Protected Your thoughts belong to you. Lock sensitive notes or journals with a secure password so only you can access them. We prioritize privacy with offline-first storage and secure cloud syncing. [+] Works Offline Capture ideas on a plane or in the subway. Write offline, and the app will automatically sync your changes to the cloud the moment you are back online. KEY FEATURES: • Real-Time Sync: See changes as your partner types. • AI Tools: Summarize, spell-check, and format instantly. • Dark Mode: A beautiful interface that’s easy on the eyes. • Cross-Platform: Syncs seamlessly between iPhone, iPad, and Android. Simple. Secure. Shared. Download Shared Notes today and get in sync.

Screenshots

Workflowy4 screens
Shared Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Workflowy at 88% against Shared Notes's 50%. Workflowy also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.8 vs 4.4). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Workflowy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and Shared Notes sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Workflowy holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Workflowy has 8.2K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of Workflowy's written reviews are positive against 50% of Shared Notes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Workflowy ships an update weekly, Shared Notes every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Workflowy versus Shared Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWorkflowyShared Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (8.2K ratings) — better4.4 (11 ratings)
Positive reviews88.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings8.2K — better11
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.6
Further details — not scored
Size147 MB83 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFunRoutine INCJuanma Del Boca

Customer experience

Workflowy

All ratings8,218 ratings
Positive96.9%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews1,066 reviews
Positive88.0%
Neutral4.8%
Negative7.2%

Shared Notes

All ratings11 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Workflowy

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Cursor sometimes gets stuck
  • Syncing issues between web and mobile versions
  • Inability to delete items consistently

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add ability to attach files and documents
  • Improve mobile app experience
  • Implement better notification and reminder system
  • Add more formatting options (e.g., font styles, colors)

Shared Notes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Workflowy

Subscriptions2
  • Workflowy Pro - Monthly$8.991 Month
  • Workflowy Pro - Yearly$79.991 Year
5 purchases

Shared Notes

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Subscription$2.991 Month
  • Half Year Subscription7 Days trial$4.996 Months
  • Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime Pro + AI$29.99
  • Lifetime Pro + AI$59.99

Questions

Is Workflowy free?
Workflowy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shared Notes free?
Shared Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Workflowy or Shared Notes?
Workflowy is rated higher. Workflowy averages 4.8 out of 5 from 8.2K ratings, while Shared Notes averages 4.4 from 11 ratings.
Do Workflowy or Shared Notes have ads?
Shared Notes shows ads; Workflowy does not.
Which is updated more often, Workflowy or Shared Notes?
Workflowy ships an update weekly, and Shared Notes every 2 weeks. Most recently, Workflowy was updated on September 26, 2026 and Shared Notes on September 24, 2026.

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