Comparison

Cheatsheet vs Notes

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

Head to head
About

Cheatsheet

Quickly store and access important information like hotel room numbers or license plates via widgets, a custom keyboard, or your Apple Watch. This app simplifies recalling details without needing to unlock your phone.

Highlights
  • Quick recall memos
  • Widget access
  • Custom keyboard integration
  • Apple Watch app
  • Search functionality
  • Organize with folders
  • Format notes
Features
Read full description

Cheatsheet is for the little things you never remember: hotel rooms, license plates, luggage combination, ID numbers. Write them down in Cheatsheet and then refer to them anytime in a Widget or paste them anywhere with the Custom Keyboard. No more fumbling to unlock your phone and find your notes app; Cheatsheet is as easy as looking at your lock screen, pulling up the keyboard, or glancing at your Apple Watch. App Features: • Simple UI for adding and managing your cheats. • Over 450 icons to help you recognize what you’re looking for. • Quickly copy a cheat by tapping-and-holding on a row. • Search for your cheats, both in the app and in Spotlight. • Use Shortcuts or Siri to “add notes to Cheatsheet” or “find notes in Cheatsheet”. • Organize your cheats with folders and titles. • Format your notes with bold, italics, lists, links, and more. • Protect your cheats with Passcode Lock (Pro feature). • Sync between all your iOS devices via iCloud (Pro feature). Widgets: • Multiple sizes, styles, and colors. • Tap a cheat to open it. Tap the “+” button to add a cheat in the app. • Cheatsheet also has a “Today widget” with options to copy or delete cheats. Apple Watch: • Add, edit, and delete cheats right from your wrist. • Complications show your top cheat (or several cheats) right on your watch face. • Syncs to your iPhone via iCloud (Pro feature). Keyboard Extension: • Shows up to 50 cheats, which you can insert anywhere you can use a custom keyboard. • Includes space, delete, and return keys to help with simple edits. Advanced Features: • Automate your workflows with Shortcuts. • Action extension: send text or URLs to Cheatsheet from any app via the share sheet. • Customize the Cheatsheet widget’s appearance and behavior to suit your needs. • Add or open notes from Control Center (iOS 18 required). • URL scheme for adding a cheat: cheatsheet://add?text=everything%20is%20awesome. Cheatsheet Pro: • Remove limits on the widget, keyboard, and Watch app. • Protect your cheats with Passcode Lock. • Organize your cheats with folders. • Sync your cheats between your devices with iCloud. • Cheatsheet Pro is a simple, annual subscription; there is a one-time purchase option for customers who want to avoid subscriptions. Cheatsheet for Mac is sold separately. • Purchases help support the ongoing development of Cheatsheet — this app is beloved by its users and has over 10 years of active development by a single indie developer, so your support is truly appreciated! Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Notes

Capture your thoughts, ideas, and important information with a versatile note-taking app. Attach various file types, scan documents, create checklists, and even sketch directly within your notes. Organize with folders, tags, and smart searches, and collaborate with others on shared notes.

Highlights
  • Add attachments (PDFs, images, links)
  • Scan paper documents
  • Create checklists
  • Sketch with finger or stylus
  • Search text in notes and handwriting
  • Collaborate on shared notes
  • Quick Note feature
Features
Read full description

Notes is the best place to jot down quick thoughts or to save longer notes filled with checklists, images, web links, scanned documents, handwritten notes, or sketches. And with iCloud, it's easy to keep all your devices in sync, so you’ll always have your notes with you. Features Powerful note-taking • Add attachments - PDFs, photos, maps, web links, and more. • Record and transcribe audio directly into a note. • Scan paper documents with the built-in document scanner. • Secure sensitive or personal data in a locked note. • Create checklists. Make a grocery list, a wish list, or a to-do list, then tap to check off items as you go. • Apply different text styles, such as heading or body, bulleted lists, highlighting, and more. • Tap next to section headers to reveal a chevron to collapse text. • Add tables to quickly organize information. • Use your finger, or Apple Pencil on a compatible iPad, to sketch right in your note or an inline PDF. Choose from a variety of brush styles and colors, and add lines and grids to a note for easier writing and drawing. • Take a Quick Note without opening the app - add Quick Note to your Control Center, swipe up from the bottom right corner with an Apple Pencil on iPad, or use Fn-Q on a keyboard. Organize and search • Search for text in notes, your handwriting, and even inside scanned documents and photos like receipts or bills. • Link from one note to another to connect ideas, content, or any information. Try typing >> for a shortcut to add links while writing in your note. • Keep your notes in folders and subfolders, or add tags to categorize them. Type or handwrite tags directly in your note - like #cooking or #expenses. • Automatically organize notes in a Smart Folder based on filters. Create rules to filter for Date Created, Checklists, Attachments, and more. Collaborate • Collaborate on entire shared folders or on specific shared notes. • Mention friends to notify them of important updates and link them directly to a shared note. • See what others added into a shared note while you were away with Activity view, a day-to-day list summary of activity from each collaborator. Notes for Apple Watch • View all of your iCloud notes right from your wrist; you can also pin notes, complete checklist items, or create new notes with dictation or Siri. Certain features are available only in select languages and regions.

Screenshots

Cheatsheet4 screens
Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Notes at none against Cheatsheet's 9. Notes also leads on ratings volume (641K vs 1.9K) and device support (5 vs 3). Cheatsheet's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 9 months) and review sentiment (81% vs 51%). On price, rating and ads 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. Cheatsheet sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Notes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Cheatsheet against 4.8 for Notes. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notes has 641K ratings behind it against 1.9K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Cheatsheet's written reviews are positive against 51% of Notes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cheatsheet ships an update every 2 weeks, Notes every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Cheatsheet versus Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCheatsheetNotes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.9K ratings)4.8 (641K ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.6% of reviews — better51.2% of reviews
Number of ratings1.9K641K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 9 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS17.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size128 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOverdesigned, LLCApple

Customer experience

Cheatsheet

All ratings1,898 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral2.0%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews793 reviews
Positive80.6%
Neutral5.2%
Negative14.2%

Notes

All ratings640,678 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral1.4%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews4,901 reviews
Positive51.2%
Neutral10.9%
Negative37.9%

User reviews

Cheatsheet

From 1.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Quick access to information
  • 💡 Useful for remembering important details
  • 🤖 Seamless Apple Watch integration
  • 💻 Syncs across devices

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Sync issues
  • 🔒 Lack of password protection
  • 🔋 Apple Watch battery drain
  • 💰 Paid upgrade required for full functionality

Notes

From 641K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📝 Versatile note-taking app
  • 🔒 Secure with password/biometric lock
  • 🌐 Seamless sync across devices
  • 🚀 Quick and responsive
  • 📂 Organized with folders and tags

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
  • 🔍 Difficulty finding/retrieving notes
  • 🔋 High battery drain when using Apple Pencil
  • 📝 Limited formatting options (font, color, etc.)
  • 🔒 Password reset issues with locked notes

Bugs and requests

Cheatsheet

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Entries disappearing from widget
  • Syncing problems between devices
  • Crashes on older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to sort/reorder entries
  • Improve sync reliability
  • Implement password protection
  • Allow adding images/attachments to entries
  • Expand customization options (colors, icons, etc.)

Notes

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Notes randomly disappearing or not syncing
  • Cursor jumping around when editing text
  • Typing lag and performance issues
  • Inconsistent behavior when adding images
  • Formatting problems when pasting content

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add undo/redo functionality
  • Improve table formatting and calculations
  • Allow custom folder colors and icons
  • Implement a page view for longer notes
  • Integrate with Reminders app for to-do lists
Show 1 more
  • Provide more drawing/annotation tools

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Cheatsheet

Subscriptions4
  • Cheatsheet Pro$0.991 Month
  • Cheatsheet Pro$1.991 Month
  • Cheatsheet Pro$4.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Cheatsheet Pro14 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time5
  • Small Tip$2.99
  • Medium Tip$5.99
  • Big Tip$9.99
Show 2 more
  • Legacy$19.99
  • Cheatsheet Pro (Lifetime)$79.99
None

Notes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cheatsheet free?
Cheatsheet 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, Cheatsheet or Notes?
Notes is rated higher. Cheatsheet averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.9K ratings, while Notes averages 4.8 from 641K ratings.
Do Cheatsheet or Notes have ads?
Neither Cheatsheet nor Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cheatsheet or Notes?
Cheatsheet ships an update every 2 weeks, and Notes every 9 months. Most recently, Cheatsheet was updated on September 22, 2026 and Notes on September 24, 2026.

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