Comparison

Notebook vs Simple Notepad

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

Head to head
About

Notebook

This app offers a natural journaling experience by organizing daily notes on a single page, allowing you to flip through your entries like a physical book. It prioritizes simplicity, security with passcode locks, and seamless iCloud synchronization for easy access across devices.

Highlights
  • Realistic page-turning effect
  • One page per day organization
  • iCloud sync and backup
  • Passcode lock with Face ID/Touch ID
  • Dark mode and font adjustment
  • Ad-free Premium option
Features
Read full description

Keep daily notes and diary entries together on one page. Turn pages like a book and revisit your past entries. Search, iCloud sync, and a passcode lock help you organize and access your notes. Core features are free; ad removal is a one-time purchase. ■ Your day on one page See the notes and diary entries you write each day together on one page. Swipe or tap to turn pages and look back on everyday moments and memories. ■ Find past entries Use the contents list or search to find a note you want to revisit. Change a note's date to record plans or past events. ■ Make reading and writing comfortable Adjust the text size or use Dark Mode. Copy, print, or share your notes. ■ Protect access with a passcode Lock access to your diary with a passcode. Face ID / Touch ID is available on supported devices. ■ Sync between devices with iCloud With iCloud sync enabled, notes synchronize automatically between devices using the same Apple Account. iCloud sync is enabled by default for new installations. iCloud Drive and Notebook's iCloud access must be enabled, with available storage and a network connection. Synchronization may take time. iCloud sync and device backups are separate features. Check your sync status and backups before changing devices. ■ Recover deleted notes Recover notes within 30 days of deletion from Recently Deleted in Settings. ■ Remove ads with a one-time purchase Core features are free. Premium removes ads with a one-time purchase, not a subscription. After changing devices, use Restore Purchases with the Apple Account used for your purchase. Over 2 million downloads worldwide. Rated 4.7 out of 5 from over 21,000 ratings across all countries and regions (October 2026). Capture your everyday moments, one page at a time.

About

Simple Notepad

This app offers a unique note-taking experience with a three-tab system for memos, remarks, and history. Attach photos to your notes and secure them with a password. Organize your thoughts with folder division for efficient management.

Highlights
  • Three-tab note structure (Memo, Remarks, History)
  • Attach images to notes
  • Password security lock
  • Folder division for organization
  • Revision history tracking
  • Additional remarks field
Read full description

"BestNote" is a memo pad application aimed at the highest. As a characteristic feature of "BestNote", the memo creation page is divided into three tabs. It is "memo" "remarks" "history". "Memo" tab is the same function as normal memo pad. "Remarks" "History" is a feature of this application's commitment. In the "Remarks" tab, there is another character input field in addition to the memo, so you can use it in various ways, such as writing a simple draft when writing a note or using it as a remarks column. In addition, it is also possible to attach images on the "Remarks" tab, and it is possible to use it beyond the frame of Notepad depending on the ingenuity. Although it is the "history" tab, contents written in the "memo" tab are accumulated in the history as the name does. (It will be written to the history when you press save button on memo page) With this function, it is possible to recover promptly even in unforeseen circumstances such as mistakenly editing important information accidentally. In addition to the security lock password function. Various functions such as folder division function to make memo easier to manage are carried. Please try downloading it once by all means. ・Terms of Use https://eeggs.jp/terms-of-use-en

Screenshots

Notebook4 screens
Simple Notepad4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Notebook at weekly against Simple Notepad's every 3 weeks. Notebook also leads on ratings volume (14K vs 2.8K). On price, rating, review sentiment and 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

Both are free to download. Notebook sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Simple Notepad sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 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 Notebook against 4.6 for Simple Notepad. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notebook has 14K ratings behind it against 2.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of Notebook's written reviews are positive against 68% of Simple Notepad's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notebook ships an update weekly, Simple Notepad every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Notebook versus Simple Notepad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotebookSimple Notepad
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (14K ratings) — better4.6 (2.8K ratings)
Positive reviews72.5% of reviews — better68.5% of reviews
Number of ratings14K — better2.8K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKoji ItoEasterEggs

Customer experience

Notebook

All ratings14,314 ratings
Positive94.0%
Neutral3.2%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews276 reviews
Positive72.5%
Neutral12.3%
Negative15.2%

Simple Notepad

All ratings2,818 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral4.3%
Negative4.3%
Written reviews168 reviews
Positive68.5%
Neutral10.1%
Negative21.4%

User reviews

Notebook

From 14K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 🔒 Password protection
  • 💡 Convenient for journaling and note-taking
  • 🚀 Smooth and responsive
  • 👍 Organized by date

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
  • 🚫 Unable to insert photos or attachments
  • 🚫 Limited formatting options
  • 🚫 No cloud sync or backup
  • 🚫 Not compatible with iPad

Simple Notepad

From 2.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 🎨 Customizable colors and themes
  • 🗂️ Folder organization
  • 🔒 Secure with password protection
  • 📝 Good for note-taking and journaling

Room to improve

  • 🙄 Intrusive ads
  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • 📱 Not optimized for iPad
  • 🖋️ No handwriting support
  • 💾 No backup/sync options

Bugs and requests

Notebook

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Deleting entries causes the app to crash
  • Long entries can cause the app to become unresponsive
  • Password feature doesn't always work as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to insert photos and attachments
  • Implement cloud sync and backup
  • Allow more formatting options (font, size, color, bold, italic, etc.)
  • Develop an iPad version with optimized layout
  • Add a search function to easily find past entries

Simple Notepad

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on launch
  • Notes disappearing after updates
  • Vertical orientation not working
  • Unable to recover lost notes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Option to remove ads
  • Ability to sync notes across devices
  • More font and formatting options
  • Print functionality
  • Improved iPad support

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Notebook

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$6.99
1 purchases

Simple Notepad

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Plan$3.991 Month

Questions

Is Notebook free?
Notebook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simple Notepad free?
Simple Notepad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notebook or Simple Notepad?
Notebook is rated higher. Notebook averages 4.7 out of 5 from 14K ratings, while Simple Notepad averages 4.6 from 2.8K ratings.
Do Notebook or Simple Notepad have ads?
Both Notebook and Simple Notepad show ads.
Which is updated more often, Notebook or Simple Notepad?
Notebook ships an update weekly, and Simple Notepad every 3 weeks. Most recently, Notebook was updated on October 17, 2026 and Simple Notepad on October 17, 2026.

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