# Color Notes vs Notepad

The clearest difference is rating: Color Notes at 4.1 against Notepad's 1.0. Color Notes also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (640 vs 2). Notepad's advantage is review sentiment (31% vs 14%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Color Notes sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $7.99 per month and Notepad sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Color Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Color Notes has 640 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 14% of Color Notes's written reviews are positive against 31% of Notepad's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Color Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, Notepad every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Color Notes | Notepad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (640 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/color-notes/id830515136/reviews)** | [1.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notepad-write-your-ideas/id953448387/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **640** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 14.5% of reviews | **31.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 62 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hagens Media, LLC.](https://appshunter.io/developer/452501582) | [Tramboliko Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/887812129) |

## 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


### Notepad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notepad-write-your-ideas/id953448387)

Capture your thoughts, to-do lists, and commitments with this intuitive note-taking app. Save all your important information on a single screen for quick access. Features include multiple drawing brushes, various backgrounds, and checklist functionality.

**Highlights:** Multiple drawing brushes, Variety of backgrounds, Checklist functionality, Undo/Redo actions, Save notes on one screen, Share and save note images

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free Ressorces | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlock brushes Editor | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| FullPack | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Color Notes free?

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

### Is Notepad free?

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

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

Color Notes is rated higher. Color Notes averages 4.1 out of 5 from 640 ratings, while Notepad averages 1.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Color Notes or Notepad have ads?

Notepad shows ads; Color Notes does not.

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

Color Notes ships an update every 6 weeks, and Notepad every 3 months. Most recently, Color Notes was updated on September 27, 2026 and Notepad on September 7, 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.*