Comparison

Quick Notes with widget vs Tadpole

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

Head to head
About

Quick Notes with widget

Capture thoughts instantly and access them from your notification center. This app prioritizes speed and simplicity for jotting down ideas without distraction. It offers convenient access on Apple Watch and syncs across devices via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Quick note creation
  • Notification Center widget
  • Apple Watch app
  • iCloud synchronization
  • Note search
  • Reminders
Features
Read full description

A single piece of paper for your peace of mind. That's exactly what Quick Notes is all about – a nifty place to jot down your thoughts as quickly as possible so you can let them go and decide what to do with them later. No lists, no excessive clutter – just open and take notes. Practicality and simplicity is deeply rooted in Quick Notes. Its meticulously arranged main screen, along with Home Screen Widgets, Apple Watch Complications, and Notifications keep you up to date efficiently. In addition, you can use Headings and Check marks to make your notes clearer at a glance, add a new note directly on your Apple Watch, customize the Widgets, or take control over the Dark Mode – all this and more with just a one-time purchase we call Everything. Features: • Single sheet for your quick notes and drafts • iCloud synchronization • Home Screen Widgets • Apple Watch Complications • Reminder Additionally with Everything (a one-time in-app purchase): • Headings • Check marks • Swipe left to delete a line • Version history • Appearance under control • Adding and ticking notes on Apple Watch • Character counter • Widget customization The app is ideal for things like to-do lists, grocery lists, packing lists, room numbers, tracking codes, or to remember your parking space. ---- Privacy Policy: https://quicknotesapp.net/privacy-policy.html

About

Tadpole

Features
Read full description

Tadpole is a calm challenge tracker that measures consistency, not streaks. Miss a day and you don't start over. Tomorrow's a fresh page. Start a challenge: 30 days of running, 90 days of reading, a month without alcohol, daily guitar practice. Then answer one question each day: how did today go? DONE, PARTIAL OR MISSED One tap is enough. Did some of it? Log Partial. It counts for half, because something beats nothing. Forgot? You can still log yesterday until midnight. SEE YOUR PATTERN Every challenge gets its own calendar. Day by day the grid fills up, and you see when it went well, when it didn't, and that you kept going. CONSISTENCY, NOT PERFECTION Your consistency score shows how often you really showed up. Next to it: done, partial and missed days, your best streak and how far along you are. A TIMER WHEN YOU WANT ONE Give a challenge a timer, from 5 minutes to 2 hours. When time's up, the day is logged as Done. A Live Activity keeps it on your Lock Screen. LIFE HAPPENS Sick or away? Move a day, up to three times a week. That day becomes a rest day and doesn't count as missed. TOGETHER WITH FRIENDS Start a group challenge and invite friends straight from the app or with a code. Everyone logs their own day. You see each other's days and who's most consistent so far, and you can cheer each other on. When it ends, you get the results together. A CALM FEED Follow friends you know. Share a milestone or a result with photos or a short video, and give a cheer. Only people you approve can follow you, and every challenge stays private until you share it. LOG FROM YOUR LOCK SCREEN Widgets for your Home Screen and Lock Screen show today's challenges and how far you are. Log Done, Partial or Missed without opening the app. ON YOUR WRIST The Apple Watch app shows today's challenges. Log with one tap and keep an eye on your day with a complication. QUIET REMINDERS Set a reminder per challenge. Days you've already logged are skipped. Gentle nudges come at most once in the morning and once in the evening, and you can turn each kind off. MORE WHEN YOU WANT IT Add a note, a photo or a number to any day: pages read, kilometres run, minutes practised. Or keep it to one tap. SHARE YOUR PROGRESS Turn a challenge into a clean story or sticker and share it anywhere, or straight to Instagram Stories. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No ads, no tracking. Personal challenges need no account and stay on your iPhone and Apple Watch. Friends, groups and the feed are optional and use Sign in with Apple. TADPOLE PRO Tadpole is free for up to 3 running challenges, and joining a friend's group challenge is always free. Tadpole Pro removes the limit and unlocks competitive group challenges, with a monthly subscription or a one-time purchase. In English, Dutch, German and Spanish. Finish what you started. Tadpole Pro Monthly renews automatically every month unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms for friends, groups and the feed: https://factual-joggers-bbb.notion.site/Tadpole-Terms-of-Use-3eac16f71dd581d18f45e199f3528b20 Privacy Policy: https://factual-joggers-bbb.notion.site/Tadpole-Privacy-Policy-354c16f71dd580d9bb84cdb58d1f27ee

Screenshots

Quick Notes with widget4 screens
Tadpole4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tadpole at none against Quick Notes with widget's 1. Tadpole also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 5 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Quick Notes with widget sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Tadpole asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Quick Notes with widget ships an update every 5 months, Tadpole every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Quick Notes with widget versus Tadpole: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterQuick Notes with widgetTadpole
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (95 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews78.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings95 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMichal KosRoelof Jan Dijkman

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Quick Notes with widget

One-time1
  • Everything$3.99
None

Tadpole

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Quick Notes with widget free?
Quick Notes with widget is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tadpole free?
Tadpole is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Quick Notes with widget or Tadpole have ads?
Neither Quick Notes with widget nor Tadpole shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Quick Notes with widget or Tadpole?
Quick Notes with widget ships an update every 5 months, and Tadpole every 3 days. Most recently, Quick Notes with widget was updated on October 21, 2026 and Tadpole on October 10, 2026.

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