Comparison

Simple Notes vs Notes by Color

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

Head to head
About

Simple Notes

A powerful yet simple note-taking application offering cross-device syncing, customizable themes, and robust security features. It allows users to set reminders, highlight text, and even save notes as images.

Highlights
  • Cross-device syncing (Dropbox/iCloud)
  • Zoomable font sizes
  • Searchable highlighted text
  • Note reminders
  • Password protection (AES 256-bit)
  • Shake to undo/redo
  • Customizable themes and fonts
Features
Read full description

Simple, Clean and Easy to Use, Yet Powerful and Loaded with Features. Key Features: --------------------- - One universal app for all your IOS Devices. - Sync your notes with Dropbox and/or iCloud. - Zoom in or out on any note to get the ideal font size suitable for your vision. - Highlight words and search terms inside your notes. - Set reminders to your notes to read them later. - Save text as an image to your camera roll. - Use Password Protection with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES 256-bit) to secure data and to protect your notes from prying eyes. - Shake your device to undo or redo: delete, creating, editing, restoring and more. - 9 font styles with five font colors. - Sort your notes chronologically or alphabetically. - Choose from six different color themes to modify your notes to suit your taste. - The ability to AirPrint your notes. - Auto Paste: when you run the app it will save text that you copied (Text in the Clipboard) automatically as a note. - Night Mode that makes reading in the dark easier on your eyes. - And much more..

About

Notes by Color

This app uses color as its primary organizational tool, allowing users to create custom color labels for notes. It offers instant filtering and sorting by color, providing a visual system for quick access and organization. Features include AI-powered summaries, iCloud sync, and full-text search.

Highlights
  • Custom color labels
  • Instant color filtering
  • AI-powered note summaries
  • iCloud sync
  • Full-text search
  • Pin important notes
Features
Read full description

Toono turns color into your most powerful organizational tool. Most note apps make you work harder than you should - folders, tags, nested systems, endless scrolling. Toono is different. You create your own color labels, assign them to notes, and instantly have a visual system that your brain understands at a glance. No complexity. No clutter. Just your colors, your way. Why people love Toono: Color isn't decoration here - it's structure. Scan your note list in seconds, filter by color with one tap, and always know exactly where everything is. Whether you're capturing ideas, tracking tasks, writing, studying, or just keeping life organized, Toono adapts to how you actually think. Everything you need, nothing you don't: - Custom color labels you define yourself - Instant color filtering - Sort notes your way - Adjustable text color - AI-powered note summaries - iCloud sync across all your devices - Pin important notes to the top - Full-text search - Adjustable note preview length - Easy sharing - Light and dark mode Your colors. Your system. Your clarity. Download Toono and find out how much calmer your notes can feel.

Screenshots

Simple Notes4 screens
Notes by Color4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Notes by Color at Free against Simple Notes's $2.99. Notes by Color also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Simple Notes's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (39 vs 1). On ads 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

Notes by Color is free to download; Simple Notes costs $2.99 up front. Notes by Color sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Simple Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notes by Color holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Simple Notes has 39 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simple Notes ships an update every 2 months, Notes by Color every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Simple Notes versus Notes by Color: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple NotesNotes by Color
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (39 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings39 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSadah Software Solutions, LLCTwo Moon Tree

Customer experience

Simple Notes

All ratings39 ratings
Positive74.4%
Neutral5.1%
Negative20.5%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive82.0%
Neutral4.9%
Negative13.1%

Notes by Color

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Simple Notes

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Notes by Color

One-time1
  • Unlock Premium$6.99

Questions

Is Simple Notes free?
Simple Notes costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Notes by Color free?
Notes by Color is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Simple Notes or Notes by Color?
Notes by Color is rated higher. Simple Notes averages 4.0 out of 5 from 39 ratings, while Notes by Color averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Simple Notes or Notes by Color have ads?
Neither Simple Notes nor Notes by Color shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Simple Notes or Notes by Color?
Simple Notes ships an update every 2 months, and Notes by Color every 3 weeks. Most recently, Simple Notes was updated on September 21, 2026 and Notes by Color on September 4, 2026.

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