Comparison

Notes vs OpenNotes

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

Head to head
About

Notes

A fast and simple note-taking application for jotting down ideas, managing daily tasks, and organizing information. It allows for quick note creation, color-coding, and easy searching to keep important details accessible. Customize your notes with formatting options and share them in various formats.

Highlights
  • Quick note creation
  • Color-coded notes
  • Notebook organization
  • Search functionality
  • Formatting options
  • Note sharing
  • Reminders
Features
Read full description

Looking for a simple and fast notes app to write down ideas, manage daily notes, and stay organized anytime? Note pad app helps save ideas quickly and keep everything in one place. It works as a smart notepad and notebook for personal, work, and study use. Create quick notes, use color notes, and keep important ideas easy to find. Daily planning and important notes stay simple and clear with an app designed for fast note-taking. Why Choose Notepad App? Quick Notes > With note taking app, create notes instantly with a single tap > Notebooks app gives a clear and focused writing experience. > Write short reminders or long notes. > Notesapp automatically saves all your notes. > Easily find any note by using the search. Organize Notes Easily > Easy notes app lets you create notebooks for better organization. > Sort notes by date, title, or color in the note pad app. > Use tags and labels with write notes app to filter notes. > Pin important notes at the top using the color notes app. > Archive old notes safely. Colorful Notes & Notebooks > Add colors to your notes with daily notes app. > Use color notes to separate work, personal, and daily notes. > Customize backgrounds and text colors. > Visual organization becomes easier with note book app. > Quickly recognize notes by color using the sticky notes app. Daily Notes & Reminders > Create daily notes easily. > Set reminders so you never forget important tasks > Plan your day better using the Notepad. > Track goals and to-do lists with the notebooks app > Stay productive every day using the color note app Customize Your Notes > Format notes with bold, italic, and underline in the daily notes app > Create bullet points and numbered lists. > Highlight important text using the sticky notes app > Add emojis and symbols to your notes > Edit, copy, and paste content smoothly in the note pad app Share Your Notes > Export notes as text, PDF, or image in the color note app. > Share notes via email, messaging, or social media. > Copy notes to the clipboard quickly using the Notepad app. > Easily share notes with friends or teammates. > Backup notes securely with the notebook app We value feedback! Suggestions help make the app better. Share thoughts and reviews to improve it. Thanks for the support! Privacy Policy: https://extramartllc.blogspot.com/2026/01/privacy-policy.html Terms of Use: https://extramartllc.blogspot.com/2026/01/terms-of-use.html

About

OpenNotes

Create handwritten notes, import and annotate PDFs, and organize your thoughts with folders. This free, open-source app prioritizes privacy by keeping all your data local and on your device.

Highlights
  • Handwritten notes with Apple Pencil
  • PDF import and annotation
  • Folder-based organization
  • Add images and text
  • Local-first data storage
  • Export and share notes
Features
Read full description

OpenNotes is a simple, free, open-source notes app built for handwriting, PDFs, and focused organization. Create notebooks, import PDFs, write with Apple Pencil, add images or text, organize notes into folders, and export your work when you need it. OpenNotes is local-first and privacy focused. There are no accounts, no analytics, and no tracking. Your notes live on your device, with optional backup to your own iCloud so they survive a lost iPad or a deleted app. Nothing is ever sent to us — your notes stay in your Apple account, readable by no one else.

Screenshots

Notes4 screens
OpenNotes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OpenNotes at none against Notes's 1. OpenNotes also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (25 vs 4). On price, rating, ads and device support 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. Notes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $39.99 per year. OpenNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Notes against 4.4 for OpenNotes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: OpenNotes has 25 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, OpenNotes every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Notes versus OpenNotes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotesOpenNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (4 ratings) — better4.4 (25 ratings)
Positive reviews—60.0% of reviews
Number of ratings425 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size93 MB43 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEXTRA MART LLCMark Miller

Customer experience

Notes

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%

OpenNotes

All ratings25 ratings
Positive84.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Notes

Subscriptions1
  • Yearly Premium Access3 Days trial$39.991 Year
None

OpenNotes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notes free?
Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is OpenNotes free?
OpenNotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Notes or OpenNotes?
Notes is rated higher. Notes averages 4.5 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while OpenNotes averages 4.4 from 25 ratings.
Do Notes or OpenNotes have ads?
Neither Notes nor OpenNotes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notes or OpenNotes?
Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, and OpenNotes every 5 days. Most recently, Notes was updated on October 12, 2026 and OpenNotes on October 7, 2026.

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