Comparison

Simplify Notes vs ScribblePad

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

Head to head
About

Simplify Notes

Features
Read full description

CAPTURE EVERY IDEA. ORGANIZE EVERY SUBJECT. Simplify Notes brings handwritten notes, notebooks and PDFs together in one calm, organized place. Write naturally with Apple Pencil, create notebooks for every subject, organize your work into folders and keep important ideas easy to find. Whether you’re studying for an exam, attending a lecture or planning a personal project, everything stays clear and connected. BUILT FOR THE WAY YOU STUDY • Create unlimited notebooks • Write and draw naturally • Use Apple Pencil on iPad • Import and work with PDFs • Organize notebooks into folders • Add images to your notes • Mark important content with tags and favorites • Search and find notes quickly • Export your work as PDF • Choose from multiple paper formats • Keep courses, projects and ideas together LESS CLUTTER. MORE FOCUS. Simplify Notes helps you reduce the mental load of scattered files, loose pages and disconnected ideas. Give every course, subject or project its own place, so you can focus on learning instead of searching. PERFECT FOR • College and university students • Lecture and class notes • Exam preparation • Research and assignments • Engineering and MBA studies • Personal projects • Everyday ideas and planning No account required. No subscription. Just open the app and start writing. Your ideas deserve a place you’ll actually remember.

About

ScribblePad

A private, free note-taking and PDF annotation app for Apple devices. It offers natural handwriting, organization tools, and optional cloud backup to your own storage. Enjoy a distraction-free experience with no accounts or tracking.

Highlights
  • Natural handwriting with Apple Pencil
  • PDF annotation and markup
  • Organize notes with subjects and notebooks
  • On-device handwriting search (OCR)
  • Audio recording synced to notes
  • Optional Google Drive/iCloud backup
  • Offline functionality
Features
Read full description

The free, private note app for iPhone, iPad & Mac. No subscription, no account, no tracking — just fast handwriting, PDF markup, and backup to YOUR own cloud. Write naturally with Apple Pencil, organize notes into colorful subjects, and keep everything synced to your own Google Drive or iCloud. Nothing lives on our servers — your notes stay yours. WRITING & TOOLS • Smooth, low-latency ink (PencilKit) — pen, pencil, highlighter, eraser, lasso • Pinch to zoom, palm rejection, and ruler • Add text boxes, shapes, images, and stickers on top of your ink ORGANIZE • Subjects → notebooks → pages, drag to reorder • Templates: blank, ruled, grid, dotted + your own custom pages • Search your handwriting instantly with on-device OCR PDF & IMPORT/EXPORT • Import and annotate PDFs • Export as PDF, PNG, or the native .scribble format • Share notes with other ScribblePad users AUDIO • Record audio synced to your strokes — replay your notes in time PRIVATE BACKUP & SYNC (OPTIONAL) • Back up to your own Google Drive (the app only sees files it creates) or iCloud • Works fully offline — the cloud is yours, not ours No sign-up. No ads. No data collection. Just a beautiful place to think.

Screenshots

Simplify Notes2 screens
ScribblePad4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: ScribblePad at none against Simplify Notes's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Simplify Notes ships an update every 6 days, ScribblePad every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 11, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Simplify Notes versus ScribblePad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimplify NotesScribblePad
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Number of ratings2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMario GuzmanSagar Seth

In-app purchases

None

Simplify Notes

No in-app purchases

None

ScribblePad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Simplify Notes free?
Simplify Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ScribblePad free?
ScribblePad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Simplify Notes or ScribblePad have ads?
Simplify Notes shows ads; ScribblePad does not.
Which is updated more often, Simplify Notes or ScribblePad?
Simplify Notes ships an update every 6 days, and ScribblePad every 4 days. Most recently, Simplify Notes was updated on September 11, 2026 and ScribblePad on September 7, 2026.

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