Comparison

SimpleNote vs Dotty

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

Head to head
About

SimpleNote

Features
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SimpleNote – Your smart task & notes app Organize your day in style – from quick thoughts to important reminders. With SimpleNote, you can take notes, manage tasks, and get reminded – all in one clean and elegant interface. Key Features β€’ Create tasks with title, description & category β€’ Set due dates and reminders β€’ Organized views: Work, Personal, Important & more β€’ Dark mode – optimized for day & night use β€’ Local storage – your data stays on your device β€’ Create & manage tasks efficiently Privacy first Your tasks are never stored in the cloud. No account needed. No hidden trackers. Whether it’s a spontaneous idea or structured planning – SimpleNote brings clarity to your everyday life. Download now and get organized!

About

Dotty

Features
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A private notebook where everyone you know gets a page, including you. Contact apps store phone numbers. Dotty stores the things you would never put in a contact card: that she hates surprise calls, that his sister is called Ada, that his dad had surgery and you should ask. Everything is encrypted on your device. You do not need an account, and nothing leaves your phone unless you decide it should. EVERY PAGE IS YOURS TO SHAPE β€’ Notes, lists, checklists, custom fields, files and folders, mixed in whatever way that person needs β€’ A page for a friend looks nothing like a page for a client, and both are right β€’ You get a page too, for the things you want to remember about yourself THE MAP Your relationships are not folders. The map draws them as a network, so you can see how they actually sit. β€’ People move closer as you stay in touch, and drift apart when you do not β€’ Someone can be family, gym, and work at the same time. You create the circles. β€’ Drifting shows who you have not spoken to in weeks, before it becomes months MOMENTS β€’ Birthdays repeat every year on their own, pulled from the person’s page β€’ Reminders repeat when you want them to, like a monthly call or a yearly anniversary β€’ Plans stay on one calendar, with everyone on it β€’ Notifications for events, birthdays, and reminders PRIVATE, EITHER WAY You choose where your people live: on this phone alone, or in an account that follows you. β€’ On-device only means there is no account and no copy stored anywhere else β€’ The database is encrypted with SQLCipher, using standard cryptography β€’ The key stays in your Keychain, marked for this device, and is left out of every backup β€’ Photos and attachments are excluded from backups too, so no readable copy reaches iCloud β€’ Sign in with Apple or Google if you want to sync. There is no password to lose. β€’ No analytics, no ad SDK, no data brokers. Nothing you write is sent to any AI model, and search runs on your device β€’ Export everything as a single file whenever you like, and delete your account in the app, iPhone and iPad. Questions or ideas? Write to us. We read everything.

Screenshots

SimpleNote4 screens
Dotty4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SimpleNote at none against Dotty's 1. Dotty's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Dotty sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SimpleNote asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SimpleNote ships an update every 2 months, Dotty every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 3 level
SimpleNote versus Dotty: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimpleNoteDotty
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod β€” better
Requires iOS17.615.1 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size2 MB43 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperPatrick LanhamBASRI KEREM ALHAN

In-app purchases

None

SimpleNote

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Dotty

One-time1
  • Unlock all of Dotty$9.99

Questions

Is SimpleNote free?
SimpleNote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dotty free?
Dotty is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SimpleNote or Dotty have ads?
Neither SimpleNote nor Dotty shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SimpleNote or Dotty?
SimpleNote ships an update every 2 months, and Dotty every 2 days. Most recently, SimpleNote was updated on October 15, 2026 and Dotty on October 12, 2026.

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