# Simplify Notes vs Pdfly

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Simplify Notes at none against Pdfly's 1. Pdfly's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pdfly sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Simplify Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Simplify Notes ships an update weekly, Pdfly every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Simplify Notes | Pdfly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simplify-notes-pdf-notebook/id6758640857/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2** | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 9 days |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | — |
| Size | 13 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mario Guzman](https://appshunter.io/developer/1874125399) | [Jhomar Maravillas](https://appshunter.io/developer/6783703541) |

## What reviewers say

### Simplify Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simplify-notes-pdf-notebook/id6758640857)

Capture and organize handwritten notes, notebooks, and PDFs in one place. Create unlimited notebooks, draw naturally with Apple Pencil, and import PDFs to study, plan, or research. Reduce clutter and enhance focus with a calm, organized system.

**Highlights:** Unlimited notebooks, Natural handwriting and drawing, Apple Pencil support, PDF import and annotation, Folder organization, Add images and tags, Quick search and PDF export

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Pdfly

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdfly-photos-to-pdf/id6791877353)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Unlimited | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Simplify Notes free?

Simplify Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Pdfly free?

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

### Do Simplify Notes or Pdfly have ads?

Simplify Notes shows ads; Pdfly does not.

### Which is updated more often, Simplify Notes or Pdfly?

Simplify Notes ships an update weekly, and Pdfly every 9 days. Most recently, Simplify Notes was updated on October 26, 2026 and Pdfly on October 10, 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.*