Comparison

Finalist vs Quick Notes

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

Head to head
About

Finalist

This app combines your calendar, tasks, reminders, and weather into a single, visually appealing timeline. It integrates with your journal and activity data to inspire your planning. Enjoy a beautiful and joyful planning experience without complex workflows.

Highlights
  • Unified timeline view
  • Calendar, task, and reminder integration
  • Weather forecast display
  • Journal and activity ring integration
  • Customizable themes
  • Native Apple technology integration
Features
Read full description

Inspired by paper planners, Finalist shows your calendar, tasks, notes, reminders and weather forecast in one beautiful timeline. It even pulls in your Journal Suggestions and Activity Rings to keep you inspired. Gorgeous themes make planning a joy, not a chore. Finalist is built for people who finish things, no complex workflows or productivity theater. NOTES, IN YOUR PLANNER Your planner remembers what you wrote. A dedicated Notes tab gives you notebooks, tags and search. Keep native notes that sync over iCloud, or connect a folder of plain markdown files, including your Obsidian vault, and edit them in place. Tasks inside your markdown files become real Finalist tasks: dated, tagged and checkable anywhere in the app. YOUR DAY, ON YOUR WRIST The Apple Watch app puts your whole day one glance away: events, tasks, reminders and habits in one scrollable view, topped by a Now card that always knows what matters next. Check off pinned lists from the wrist, grocery list included, and add tasks by keyboard, scribble or dictation. Complications and a Smart Stack widget round it out. (Requires watchOS 26.) DESIGN YOUR DAY Choose between two Daily designs: Daybook, the classic stacked layout, or Broadsheet, a newsprint-inspired look that shines on iPad and Mac. Rearrange sections with the layout editor and save your own presets. On the rebuilt Timeline, drag tasks onto the grid to sketch your day in pencil, then commit when it's real. "I've tried dozens of planning apps, this is the one that finally works." - Beta user "The integration of Reminders and Lists reduces the apps I need daily and makes planning actually fun." - Beta user Built with native Apple technologies: no accounts to create, syncs over iCloud, supports Family Sharing, and runs on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro and Mac. Full database backup, export and import via JSON and OPML. Finalist is a love letter to paper planners. Give it a try, it feels great :) Purchasing information To get the full functionality in Finalist you will need to either purchase a subscription or a one time In-App Purchase for Lifetime access. The purchase amount will be applied to your iTunes account. Subscriptions will automatically renew unless canceled within 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel anytime with your iTunes account settings. Lifetime purchase is a one-time fee. For more information, see our Terms of Use at https://finalist.works/eula/ and our Privacy Policy at https://finalist.works/privacy-policy/

About

Quick Notes

This app helps you quickly capture thoughts, lists, and reminders as they come to you. Easily organize and export your ideas to over 20 other applications, or use Siri Shortcuts for custom workflows. Sync your notes across devices with iCloud and set intuitive reminders.

Highlights
  • Quick note-taking
  • Export to 20+ apps
  • iCloud Sync
  • Intuitive reminders
  • Automatic date & URL recognition
  • Widgets
  • Siri & Shortcuts integration
Features
Read full description

Capture's intuitive interface and smart features turn your mobile device into a powerful thought organizer, letting you seize, sort, and execute your ideas with unprecedented ease. • Quick Notes: Immediacy is key, and with Capture, the moment inspiration hits, you're ready. Our quick note-taking feature is designed for those who think fast and want to write faster. Notes, lists, and reminders are captured in real-time, ensuring no idea ever slips through the cracks. Brain dump on the go and stay one step ahead of your inspiration. • Export to 20+ apps: Looking to migrate your captures to other platforms like Obsidian, Things 3, Todoist, iA Writer, Craft, Omnifocus 4, Fantastical, UpNote, NotePlan, Reminders or Apple Calendar? Capture's export functionality allows you to move your content with ease. It's all about getting your thoughts out there, wherever 'there' might be, from to-do to calendar apps. In addition, you can run any Siri Shortcut as an export option, enabling all kinds of workflows by using the capture as input. • iCloud Sync: Keep your ideas and tasks in harmony across all your devices with Capture's iCloud Sync. Every note, list, and preference is automatically updated, ensuring you have access to your latest thoughts wherever you go. • Intuitive reminders: With our badge system, subtle yet effective reminders keep you informed of your tasks. These intuitive nudges ensure that important notes don't get lost in the shuffle, keeping you alert and on track. • Automatic date & URL recognition: Organization has never been so effortless. Capture's data recognition identifies your dates and URLs so you don't need to manually insert them. They are also pre-filled with your favorite export option. • Widgets: Access your captures instantly with our widgets right from your home and lock screen. Capture prioritizes convenience, giving you a visual snapshot of your latest thoughts and to-dos without having to open the app. • Share Extension: Add content to Capture with ease using the Share extension — available from any app. • Siri & Shortcuts: Capture thoughts hands-free with Siri voice commands and enhance your workflow with Siri Shortcuts to create, open, and search captures effortlessly. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Finalist4 screens
Quick Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Quick Notes at every 4 days against Finalist's every 10 days. On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Finalist sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and Quick Notes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Finalist against 4.8 for Quick Notes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 461 and 287 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Finalist's written reviews are positive against 79% of Quick Notes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Finalist ships an update every 10 days, Quick Notes every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Finalist versus Quick Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFinalistQuick Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (461 ratings)4.8 (287 ratings) — better
Positive reviews77.4% of reviews79.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings461 — better287
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision ProiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size87 MB194 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDiversion Marketing IncFurkan Simsir

Customer experience

Finalist

All ratings461 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral2.8%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews106 reviews
Positive77.4%
Neutral5.7%
Negative17.0%

Quick Notes

All ratings287 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive79.4%
Neutral9.5%
Negative11.1%

User reviews

Finalist

From 461 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Intuitive day-based organization system
  • ✨ Beautiful, thoughtfully designed interface
  • 📅 Excellent calendar and reminders integration
  • 🎯 Perfect balance of simplicity and functionality
  • 📝 Effective task management with bring-forward feature

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes on macOS and when accessing settings
  • 🐛 App crashes when opening preferences
  • ⚠️ Inconsistent subscription recognition issues
  • ⚠️ Confusing pricing structure with multiple tiers
  • ⚠️ Limited event creation capabilities

Quick Notes

From 287 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Quick and easy capture
  • 👍 Simple and intuitive UI
  • 💡 Great for organizing information
  • ✨ Satisfying categorization
  • 💰 Lifetime license option

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Defective, data loss
  • 🐛 Sidebar sorting buggy
  • 🐛 Crashes a lot
  • 🐛 Mac app non-functional
  • 🐛 MacOS app crashing

Bugs and requests

Finalist

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Settings/preferences crash the app
  • Pro subscription not recognized after canceling auto-renewal
  • Weather widget fails to display without manual toggling
  • App freezes and becomes unresponsive on iPad
  • Empty tasks cannot be permanently deleted
Show 4 more
  • App crashes when accessing certain reminder lists
  • Slow performance after force closing and reopening
  • Widget functionality discontinued or broken
  • macOS version crashes and lacks performance

Requested features

18 requests
  • Apple Watch native app
  • Recurring/repeating tasks and reminders
  • Subtasks functionality
  • Task tagging and filtering
  • Event location and travel time details
Show 13 more
  • Natural language input for tasks and events
  • Snooze reminder functionality
  • Task comments and checklist support
  • List grouping and archiving options
  • Menubar-only mode for macOS
  • Early/advance reminders for tasks
  • Notes section for daily journaling
  • School/team collaboration version
  • Chinese language support
  • Dark mode option
  • Family sharing features
  • Multiple calendar visibility in month view
  • Invite others to meetings and add conferencing

Quick Notes

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Data loss/notes vanishing
  • Sidebar sorting is buggy and breaks
  • Mac app does not work
  • App crashes frequently
  • Stickie notes do not work on MacOS 14 Sonoma
Show 3 more
  • MacOS App keeps crashing when hitting Enter key
  • App keeps crashing when making lists
  • Cannot share more than 1 note at a time

Requested features

19 requests
  • Batch operations (export/merge)
  • More keyboard shortcuts for macOS
  • Tags and coloring
  • An "all items" view with grouping and sorting
  • Calendar or timeline view
Show 14 more
  • View and live-edit notes expanded
  • Themes (black/white)
  • Ability to share to Supernotes and Tasks
  • Apple Watch app
  • New items to appear at the bottom of the feed
  • Ability to swipe left and right to move between lists
  • App icon customization
  • More widget presentation
  • Visual customization
  • Pin and archive lists
  • Support for images
  • WatchOS app with dictation
  • Better Markdown support
  • More keyboard shortcuts

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Finalist

Subscriptions5
  • Finalist Pro Weekly3 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • Finalist Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Finalist Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
Show 2 more
  • Finalist Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Finalist Pro Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • Finalist Lifetime$59.99
  • Finalist Pro Lifetime$59.99
3 purchases

Quick Notes

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Yearly3 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$19.99

Questions

Is Finalist free?
Finalist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Quick Notes free?
Quick Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Finalist or Quick Notes?
Quick Notes is rated higher. Finalist averages 4.7 out of 5 from 461 ratings, while Quick Notes averages 4.8 from 287 ratings.
Do Finalist or Quick Notes have ads?
Neither Finalist nor Quick Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Finalist or Quick Notes?
Finalist ships an update every 10 days, and Quick Notes every 4 days. Most recently, Finalist was updated on September 23, 2026 and Quick Notes on September 22, 2026.

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