# Color Notes vs Notes

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Notes at 79% against Color Notes's 23%. Notes also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). 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 Notes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 640 and 654 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of Color Notes's written reviews are positive against 79% of Notes's.

Color Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, Notes monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Color Notes | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (640 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/color-notes/id830515136/reviews) | **[4.8 (654 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-notepad-and-lists/id1489717129/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 640 | **654** |
| Positive reviews | 23.1% of reviews | **78.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 62 MB | 109 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hagens Media, LLC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/452501582) | [Orange Dog](https://appshunter.io/developer/1673134885) |

## 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


### Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-notepad-and-lists/id1489717129)

This app combines a notepad, to-do list, and memo functionality into a single, intuitive interface. Easily create notes from text, voice, or images, and organize them with reminders and sorting options. Secure your data and transfer it to new devices.

**Highlights:** 3-in-1 notepad, to-do list, and memos, Create notes from photos, images, and voice, Set notifications and reminders, Sort notes by urgency, category, due date, color, Secure notes with a security code, Data transfer to new devices

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Disable ads | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use interface
- 🎨 Highly customizable with colors and themes
- 🆓 Free app with no ads
- 🔒 Password protected notes
- 📱 Well-organized layout

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📺 Excessive ads despite paid subscription
- ❓ Unclear note retention policies
- 🤔 Complicated question/support system

**Reported bugs**

- Unexpected ads appearing after recent updates for paid subscribers

**Requested features**

- More engaging task motivation features
- Clearer documentation on note persistence
- Improved customer support interface


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Color Notes free?

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

### Is Notes free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Color Notes or Notes?

Notes is rated higher. Color Notes averages 4.1 out of 5 from 640 ratings, while Notes averages 4.8 from 654 ratings.

### Do Color Notes or Notes have ads?

Notes shows ads; Color Notes does not.

### Which is updated more often, Color Notes or Notes?

Color Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, and Notes monthly. Most recently, Color Notes was updated on September 19, 2026 and Notes on September 22, 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.*