# Notepad vs Color Notes

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Color Notes at none against Notepad's 1. Color Notes also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (8 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notepad sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Color Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Notepad against 5.0 for Color Notes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Color Notes has 8 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Notepad ships an update every 11 months, Color Notes every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notepad | Color Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notepad-ai-note-taker/id6447254050/reviews) | [5.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/color-notes-beautiful-note/id6449649544/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **8** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 6 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Piyushkumar Bhut](https://appshunter.io/developer/1678963675) | [DUC QUAN PHAM](https://appshunter.io/developer/1655789727) |

## What reviewers say

### Notepad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notepad-ai-note-taker/id6447254050)

Capture your thoughts and organize your life with this intuitive note-taking application. It offers secure storage with a passcode and iCloud synchronization, allowing you to manage daily tasks and personal diaries efficiently. Easily categorize, color-code, and add images to your notes for better arrangement and sharing.

**Highlights:** User-friendly design, iCloud sync, App passcode protection, Note categorization, Share notes (text/PDF), Add images to notes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Notepad++ Premium | $1.99 | one-time |


### Color Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/color-notes-beautiful-note/id6449649544)

This app helps you quickly create and organize notes, to-do lists, and shopping lists using customizable colors and labels. It offers offline functionality, privacy features like PIN lock, and the ability to attach images. Personalize your notes with various fonts, themes, and reminder options.

**Highlights:** Create color notes and to-do lists, Organize with labels and colors, Attach photos and images, Pin important notes, Customize with fonts and themes, Set reminders, Offline functionality

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notepad free?

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

### Is Color Notes free?

Color Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

Notepad and Color Notes are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 8 ratings respectively.

### Do Notepad or Color Notes have ads?

Both Notepad and Color Notes show ads.

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

Notepad ships an update every 11 months, and Color Notes every 3 months. Most recently, Notepad was updated on September 15, 2026 and Color Notes on September 30, 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.*