# Color Notes vs Notes

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Notes at 100% against Color Notes's 14%. Notes also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.1) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Color Notes's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (640 vs 15). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Color Notes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per month. Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Color Notes has 640 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 14% of Color Notes's written reviews are positive against 100% of Notes's.

Color Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, Notes weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 28, 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) | **[4.7 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-simple-notepad/id6760331456/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **640** | 15 |
| Positive reviews | 14.5% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 62 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hagens Media, LLC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/452501582) | [Stijn Aa](https://appshunter.io/developer/1782102905) |

## 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-simple-notepad/id6760331456)

Capture thoughts, reminders, and ideas in a secure, private space. Notes save automatically as you type, with fast search and optional biometric locking for your peace of mind. Organize with color-coding and choose from classic or modern themes.

**Highlights:** Automatic saving as you type, Biometric note locking (Face ID/fingerprint), Fast search across all notes, Color-coded organization, Lined paper mode, Modern and classic themes

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## 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 no in-app purchases.

### 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 4.7 from 15 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 weekly. Most recently, Color Notes was updated on October 20, 2026 and Notes on October 28, 2026.

---

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