# Simple Notes vs Color Notes

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Simple Notes at 81% against Color Notes's 14%. Simple Notes also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.6). Color Notes's advantage is rating (4.1 vs 2.6) and ratings volume (640 vs 8). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Simple Notes sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Color Notes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Color Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Color Notes has 640 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 81% of Simple Notes's written reviews are positive against 14% of Color Notes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Simple Notes ships an update every 2 months, Color Notes every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Simple Notes | Color Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.6 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-notes-noted-memo/id563351488/reviews) | **[4.1 (640 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/color-notes/id830515136/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 8 | **640** |
| Positive reviews | **81.5% of reviews** | 14.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 14 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [elias sleiman](https://appshunter.io/developer/551532485) | [Hagens Media, LLC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/452501582) |

## What reviewers say

### Simple Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-notes-noted-memo/id563351488)

Capture your thoughts and ideas with ease using this versatile note-taking app. Create text, audio, or video notes, organize them into categories, and set reminders. Share your creations and customize their appearance with various font options.

**Highlights:** Multiple note types (Text, Audio, Video, Photo, List), Add multiple pages per note, Set reminders for notes, Customize font (color, size, type), Share notes, High-quality audio recordings, Pause and continue recordings

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| More BackGounds | Free | one-time |
| Unlock Pro Version! | $9.99 | one-time |


### Color Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/color-notes/id830515136)

Capture thoughts and tasks with a digital notebook. Create, edit, and organize notes with customizable colors. Sync across devices to keep your ideas accessible anywhere, eliminating the need for physical notepads.

**Highlights:** Create, delete, and edit notes, Organize with customizable colors, Virtual online notebook, To-do list functionality, Cloud synchronization, Multiple device support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $7.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and fast
- 📝 Great note-taking app
- 🎨 Useful color-coding
- 👍 Versatile and useful

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Lost all notes after update
- 🐛 Syncing issues
- 🔍 Difficult to find old notes
- 💸 Too many ads
- 🔒 Unable to access account on new device

**Reported bugs**

- Losing all notes after updates
- Inability to access old notes
- Saving and syncing issues

**Requested features**

- Reminders feature
- Ability to print notes
- Better syncing across devices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Simple Notes free?

Simple Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Color Notes free?

Color Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

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

Color Notes is rated higher. Simple Notes averages 2.6 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Color Notes averages 4.1 from 640 ratings.

### Do Simple Notes or Color Notes have ads?

Neither Simple Notes nor Color Notes shows ads.

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

Simple Notes ships an update every 2 months, and Color Notes every 6 weeks. Most recently, Simple Notes was updated on October 6, 2026 and Color 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.*