# Simple Notes vs Private Secret Notebook

The clearest difference is price: Simple Notes at Free against Private Secret Notebook's $4.99. Private Secret Notebook's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.1). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Simple Notes is free to download; Private Secret Notebook costs $4.99 up front. Simple Notes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Private Secret Notebook asks for nothing beyond the download.

Simple Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, Private Secret Notebook every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Simple Notes | Private Secret Notebook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | **[4.6 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-notes-take-notes/id6476257739/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **11** | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 52 MB | 64 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [naoki otsu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1082476153) | [永文 胡](https://appshunter.io/developer/804677583) |

## What reviewers say

### Simple Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-notes-take-notes/id6476257739)

A powerful and intuitive note-taking application designed to enhance productivity and streamline daily workflows. Organize notes with unlimited tabs, search instantly, and set reminders. Protect your data with biometric authentication and export to CSV.

**Highlights:** Unlimited tab management, Free rearrangement of tabs and memos, Advanced search function, Recently updated notes list, Notification feature, Biometric authentication, CSV export

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (Pay Once) | $4.99 | one-time |


### Private Secret Notebook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/private-secret-notebook-memo/id6523435571)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Simple Notes free?

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

### Is Private Secret Notebook free?

Private Secret Notebook costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Simple Notes or Private Secret Notebook have ads?

Neither Simple Notes nor Private Secret Notebook shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Simple Notes or Private Secret Notebook?

Simple Notes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Private Secret Notebook every 8 days. Most recently, Simple Notes was updated on October 9, 2026 and Private Secret Notebook on October 7, 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.*