Comparison

Paper vs Goals

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

Head to head
About

Paper

Capture, organize, and sync your thoughts with a smart note-taking app. Features include rich formatting, AI summarization, and secure encryption across all your devices. Ideal for students, professionals, and anyone seeking enhanced productivity.

Highlights
  • Customizable notebooks
  • Military-grade encryption
  • Smart search
  • Rich formatting (images, sketches)
  • AI note summarization
  • Voice-to-text capture
  • Cross-device sync
Features
Read full description

Paper is the simplest way to take notes, capture ideas, and stay organized. This free note taking app brings text notes, voice notes, checklists, and smart reminders together in one clean, fast and private space. TAKE NOTES YOUR WAY • Write text notes, record voice notes, and add images, drawings and math equations • Turn any note into a checklist or to-do list with deadlines and recurring reminders • Jot down memos and ideas on the go, wherever you are STAY ORGANIZED • Organize notes with notebooks, tags and pinned notes • Search everything instantly and filter by tag • Sync your notes across phone, tablet and computer • Use it as a journal, a memo pad, or your daily planner SMART AI ASSISTANT • Summarize long notes in one tap • Translate your notes into any language • Auto-tag and structure your notes automatically PRIVATE & SECURE • Notes are end-to-end encrypted • Secret Garden: a password-protected space for your most personal notes • No ads, no tracking: a private notes app you can trust SHARE EASILY • Share notes as a link, Markdown, or HTML • Collaborate on notes in real time with friends and teammates Paper Premium unlocks unlimited notebooks, automatic voice to text transcription, AI features, unlimited recurring reminders, and real-time collaboration. Download Paper now, the free notes app with AI, voice notes, checklists and full privacy. What's new: • Completely redesigned app: navigation now uses a bottom tab bar • Create notes with your voice • Notes sharing has been rebuilt and is now much more reliable • Fresh new UI across the entire app for a smoother experience • AI features have been improved and stabilized https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Goals

Features
Read full description

Save $5,000. Read 12 books. Run 300 kilometers. Make your first $1,000 on the side. Whatever you're working toward, Goals shows you exactly how far you've come and whether you'll make it on time. If you can count it, you can track it. Stop wondering if you're getting anywhere. See it. TRACK ANYTHING MEASURABLE Set a starting point, a target, and a date. Dollars, pages, kilometers, pounds, hours. If it's a number that matters to you, Goals turns it into a clear progress bar. STAY ON PACE Every goal gets a chart that compares your actual progress against the pace you need. Know instantly whether you're ahead or behind, and by how much. LOG PROGRESS IN ONE TAP Quick actions remember your usual amounts, so updating a goal takes one tap: +$50 saved, +10 pages read, +5 km run. Log it the moment it happens. REMEMBER YOUR WHY Every goal keeps one line about why it matters. On the days motivation dips, it won't be the number that pulls you back. WIDGETS ON YOUR HOME SCREEN Keep your goals in sight with Home Screen widgets. Progress at a glance, motivation all day. NEVER START FROM SCRATCH Not sure where to begin? Browse starter goals across eight areas of life, from meditating more to calling home to earning your first $100 on the side. Each one is sized to be finished and comes with a ready-made why you can make your own. SYNC WITH ICLOUD Your goals stay in sync across all your devices automatically via iCloud. UNLOCK EVERYTHING Goals is unlocked with a subscription: unlimited goals, pace charts, and Home Screen widgets. Go weekly, or go yearly and try it free for 7 days. --- Terms of Use: https://rickwinapps.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://rickwinapps.com/privacy

Screenshots

Paper4 screens
Goals4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Paper at fortnightly against Goals's every 5 weeks. Paper also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Paper sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Goals sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Paper ships an update fortnightly, Goals every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 1, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Paper versus Goals: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPaperGoals
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSteve NOSSERicky Winata

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Paper

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium$1.991 Month
  • Yearly premium$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime access$9.99
2 purchases

Goals

Subscriptions2
  • Goals Weekly Plan (1 Week)$0.997 Days
  • Goals Yearly Plan (1 Year)7 Days trial$6.991 Year

Questions

Is Paper free?
Paper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Goals free?
Goals is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Paper or Goals have ads?
Neither Paper nor Goals shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Paper or Goals?
Paper ships an update fortnightly, and Goals every 5 weeks. Most recently, Paper was updated on October 1, 2026 and Goals on October 1, 2026.

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