Comparison

SmartNotes vs Checklist

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

Head to head
About

SmartNotes

Features
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SmartNotes is a beautifully designed note-taking app that helps you organize your thoughts with simplicity and elegance. KEY FEATURES: • Create and organize notes with custom categories • Choose from beautiful color themes for each note • Pin important notes to keep them at the top • Search through all your notes instantly • View detailed statistics about your notes • Dark and light mode support • Complete privacy - no internet required DESIGNED FOR iOS: SmartNotes features a clean, minimal interface that feels native to iOS. Every interaction is smooth and intuitive, making note-taking a pleasure rather than a chore. PRIVACY FOCUSED: Your notes stay completely private on your device. No account required, no data collection, no internet connection needed. Just pure, simple note-taking. ORGANIZE YOUR WAY: Create custom categories with personalized colors to organize notes exactly how you want. Pin your most important notes and use powerful search to find anything instantly. Perfect for students, professionals, writers, and anyone who values clean, distraction-free note-taking.

About

Checklist

Create reusable checklists for recurring tasks like packing, groceries, or routines. Start fresh lists from templates without altering the original. Share lists easily and access them offline.

Highlights
  • Create reusable checklist templates
  • Start new lists from templates
  • Offline functionality
  • Share lists via link
  • Organize lists with sections and emojis
  • Pin favorite lists
Features
Read full description

The same trip. The same gym bag. The same grocery run. Why rewrite the list every time? Checklist: Reusable Lists is built around one idea: make a checklist once and reuse it forever. Build the list, start a fresh run whenever you need it, and check it off. The original never changes. REUSABLE BY DESIGN • Build a checklist once: packing, groceries, gym, camping, chores, a go-bag • Start a clean run any time and tick items off with a satisfying tap • Your checklist stays pristine, ready for next time • Full history: see when each run was started and completed MAKE IT YOURS, FAST • Paste a whole list and every line becomes an item. On devices with Apple Intelligence, headings and quantities are read on your device, never sent anywhere • Group items into sections, add quantities ("chargers ×2") and put a note under any item • A new list saves as you type, so nothing is lost if you leave before tapping Save • Swipe an item right for a reminder or a note; swipe left to delete it • Pin the lists you use most, reorder with a touch and hold, and give every list its own icon and color • Search finds lists by name and by what is inside them ONE-OFF LISTS TOO • Need a single, one-time list? Make a one-off and check it off in place • Reusable checklists and one-off lists live together in one simple library • New here? A "Try Me List" shows what a tap, a swipe or a hold does SHARE IN A TAP • Send any checklist to a friend as a link • They add it straight to their own library, no account needed • Great for trips, events and households CHECKLIST PRO One purchase, yours for good, shared with up to six people through Family Sharing: • Collaborate live: check off one list together and everyone sees every tap • iCloud Sync: the same library on your iPhone, iPad and Mac, through your own iCloud • Daily To-Do: a list for today whose unfinished items roll over on their own • Quick Add: type or dictate "add bread, butter and cucumber to groceries" and it lands in the right list • Reminders: add any item to your Calendar or to the Reminders app • Print or export any list New to Checklist? Try every Pro feature free for 7 days. It ends on its own: no charge, nothing to cancel, and your lists stay yours. ON iPHONE, iPAD AND MAC • Designed for the iPad's larger screen and runs on Apple silicon Macs • Put Checklist on the Action Button for one-press access PRIVATE BY DEFAULT • No account. No sign-up. Nothing to forget. • Works fully offline: pack on the plane, shop in the basement • Your lists stay on your device. Pro sync travels through your own iCloud, never a server of ours Want a head start? Browse free, ready-made templates (travel packing, moving, camping, hospital bag, groceries and more) at getchecklist.app/checklists and open them straight in the app. Stop starting from a blank page. Build it once. Reuse it forever. Checklist Pro is a one-time purchase of $14.99 (USD), charged to your Apple Account, with Family Sharing included. No subscription. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://getchecklist.app/privacy

Screenshots

SmartNotes4 screens
Checklist4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SmartNotes at none against Checklist's 2. SmartNotes also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On price, 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. Checklist sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per year. SmartNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
SmartNotes versus Checklist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSmartNotesChecklist
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.2 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—10 — better
Update frequency—Every 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB39 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHUGHES BRIANAlex Usanin

In-app purchases

None

SmartNotes

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Checklist

Subscriptions1
  • Checklist Pro — Annual7 Days trial$12.991 Year
One-time1
  • Checklist Pro: Sync & Sharing$14.99

Questions

Is SmartNotes free?
SmartNotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Checklist free?
Checklist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SmartNotes or Checklist have ads?
Neither SmartNotes nor Checklist shows ads.

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