# Color Notes vs Make a List!

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Make a List! at 66% against Color Notes's 23%. Make a List! also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.1). Color Notes's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Color Notes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per month and Make a List! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Make a List! holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 640 and 1.7K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of Color Notes's written reviews are positive against 66% of Make a List!'s.

Color Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, Make a List! every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Color Notes | Make a List! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (640 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/color-notes/id830515136/reviews) | **[4.6 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/make-a-list/id1173321635/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 640 | **1.7K** |
| Positive reviews | 23.1% of reviews | **66.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 4 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 62 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 16.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hagens Media, LLC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/452501582) | [Filippo Maguolo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1154554717) |

## What reviewers say

### Color Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/color-notes/id830515136)

Capture thoughts and tasks with a digital notebook. Create, edit, and organize notes with customizable colors. Sync across devices to keep your ideas accessible anywhere, eliminating the need for physical notepads.

**Highlights:** Create, delete, and edit notes, Organize with customizable colors, Virtual online notebook, To-do list functionality, Cloud synchronization, Multiple device support

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $7.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and fast
- 📝 Great note-taking app
- 🎨 Useful color-coding
- 👍 Versatile and useful

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Lost all notes after update
- 🐛 Syncing issues
- 🔍 Difficult to find old notes
- 💸 Too many ads
- 🔒 Unable to access account on new device

**Reported bugs**

- Losing all notes after updates
- Inability to access old notes
- Saving and syncing issues

**Requested features**

- Reminders feature
- Ability to print notes
- Better syncing across devices


### Make a List!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/make-a-list/id1173321635)

Create and share unlimited lists with friends and family. Automatically syncs across all your iOS devices and Mac. Supports audio notes, pictures, and due dates for enhanced organization.

**Highlights:** Unlimited list creation, List sharing, Push notifications, Audio and picture attachments, Due dates, Cross-device synchronization

**Features:** Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Accessible for visually impaired users
- 👍 Customizable settings
- 👍 Useful for decorating lists
- 👍 Provides pictures for list items
- 👍 Easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy, with items randomly disappearing from lists
- 🐛 Unreliable list sharing
- 🐛 Difficult to reorder lists
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔋 Excessive ads in free version

**Reported bugs**

- Items randomly disappearing from lists
- Duplicate lists being created
- Inability to view new list entries
- Reordering lists not working as expected
- Syncing issues between devices

**Requested features**

- Add alarm functionality
- Allow sub-tasks within lists
- Improve list sorting and reordering
- Provide a way to delete entire lists
- Remember previously added items to avoid retyping


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Color Notes free?

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

### Is Make a List! free?

Make a List! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Color Notes or Make a List!?

Make a List! is rated higher. Color Notes averages 4.1 out of 5 from 640 ratings, while Make a List! averages 4.6 from 1.7K ratings.

### Do Color Notes or Make a List! have ads?

Make a List! shows ads; Color Notes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Color Notes or Make a List!?

Color Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, and Make a List! every 4 weeks. Most recently, Color Notes was updated on September 19, 2026 and Make a List! on September 23, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*