Comparison

Better Notes + Lists and Todos vs Notes and Folders

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

Head to head
About

Better Notes + Lists and Todos

This app offers a streamlined approach to note-taking and list management. Organize your thoughts and tasks using hashtags, which automatically link related content. It also extracts actionable information like phone numbers and links, and allows for photo attachments.

Highlights
  • Hashtag organization
  • Linked notes via hashtags
  • Automatic data extraction (phone, email, links)
  • Checklist creation
  • Photo attachments
  • Tap to interact with extracted data
Features
Read full description

** As FEATURED by Apple in “New Apps We Love” ** This is a different kind of notes app. Simpler. Smarter. Better. You can type #hashtags into your notes to organize them. #hashtags link all the tagged notes together—tap on any to see them all. We'll find any phone numbers, email addresses, or links in your notes, too, and you can tap on those to call, email, or go to the web. A dash and then a space makes a list—you can tap the dash later to cross things off. Attach #photos of things you’d like to remember—receipts, screenshots of directions, shoes in a shoe store. Whatever makes sense for you. Tap little photos to make ‘em bigger. Swipe down on big photos to make ‘em smaller. We hope this app helps you capture the thoughts that are important to you—thank you so much for giving it a try.

About

Notes and Folders

Organize your thoughts and memories with this app. Create folders for notes, attach photos, and even keep a dated diary. Secure your entries with password protection and access them easily with widgets and search functionality.

Highlights
  • Organize notes with folders and subfolders
  • Attach photos to notes
  • Dated diary entries
  • Password lock (Passcode, Touch ID, Face ID)
  • Widgets for quick access
  • Search notes
  • Backup to Dropbox, PC, or Mac
Features
Read full description

Over 240,000 downloads worldwide! Notes and Folders is a simple notepad that lets you organize notes and photos with folders. You can also lock your notes with a passcode. FOLDERS - Organize your notes with folders - Create folders inside folders NOTES - Attach multiple photos to a note - Character count - Auto-save while editing - Editing buttons: copy & paste, undo, select, and arrow keys - Built-in web browser to add text and screenshots of web pages to your notes DIARY - Write a diary entry for any date - Read a whole month of entries at once OTHERS - Widget - Passcode lock (Face ID and Touch ID supported) - Search notes - Share notes to other apps - Save text and images from other apps (Share Extension) - Theme colors - Adjustable text size - iPad support - Backup with Dropbox - Backup with a computer URL SCHEME notesandfolders:// BACKUP You can back up your notes with Dropbox, or with a computer (Finder on Mac, or the Apple Devices app or iTunes on Windows). For details, see FAQ > "About Backup" in the app's settings. ADS This app shows banner ads, and a full-screen ad only once a day (every 24 hours). Ads are not shown after purchasing ad removal.

Screenshots

Better Notes + Lists and Todos4 screens
Notes and Folders4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Better Notes + Lists and Todos at none against Notes and Folders's 1. Better Notes + Lists and Todos also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Notes and Folders sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Better Notes + Lists and Todos asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Better Notes + Lists and Todos against 4.5 for Notes and Folders. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 143 and 302 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Better Notes + Lists and Todos's written reviews are positive against 80% of Notes and Folders's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Better Notes + Lists and Todos versus Notes and Folders: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBetter Notes + Lists and TodosNotes and Folders
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (143 ratings)4.5 (302 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.8% of reviews — better80.4% of reviews
Number of ratings143302 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB17 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperBetter Notes, LLCKinkumaDesign

Customer experience

Better Notes + Lists and Todos

All ratings143 ratings
Positive86.0%
Neutral5.6%
Negative8.4%
Written reviews134 reviews
Positive82.8%
Neutral10.4%
Negative6.7%

Notes and Folders

All ratings302 ratings
Positive87.4%
Neutral6.0%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews97 reviews
Positive80.4%
Neutral12.4%
Negative7.2%

Bugs and requests

Better Notes + Lists and Todos

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Notes delete randomly or unexpectedly
  • App crashes when deleting notes
  • App crashes when resizing sticky notes
  • Reminder notifications trigger for deleted notes
  • Checkboxes don't stay checked after closing app
Show 7 more
  • Pinned notes don't stay pinned
  • Archive count shows incorrect number
  • PDF export crashes the app
  • Hashtags don't fully support Chinese characters
  • Feature tour notes cannot be deleted
  • Notification doesn't open to the specific note
  • Notes lost after iCloud backup issues

Requested features

20 requests
  • iCloud synchronization across devices
  • iPad version with full optimization
  • Passcode/fingerprint security lock
  • Undo and redo functionality
  • Text formatting options (bold, italic, underline)
Show 15 more
  • Mac/desktop companion app
  • Apple Pencil support
  • Widget for quick note creation
  • Note color customization
  • Organize hashtags into albums/folders
  • Dark mode option
  • Markdown support
  • Web app or browser extension
  • Ability to archive notes properly
  • Improved reminder functionality
  • Swipe-to-delete gesture
  • Notification opens specific note
  • Checkbox persistence after closing app
  • Drag and drop to reorder lines/paragraphs
  • Multiple hashtag filtering

Notes and Folders

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Better Notes + Lists and Todos

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Notes and Folders

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$3.99

Questions

Is Better Notes + Lists and Todos free?
Better Notes + Lists and Todos is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Notes and Folders free?
Notes and Folders is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Better Notes + Lists and Todos or Notes and Folders?
Notes and Folders is rated higher. Better Notes + Lists and Todos averages 4.5 out of 5 from 143 ratings, while Notes and Folders averages 4.5 from 302 ratings.
Do Better Notes + Lists and Todos or Notes and Folders have ads?
Notes and Folders shows ads; Better Notes + Lists and Todos does not.
Which is updated more often, Better Notes + Lists and Todos or Notes and Folders?
Better Notes + Lists and Todos ships an update every 3 weeks, and Notes and Folders every 3 weeks. Most recently, Better Notes + Lists and Todos was updated on October 22, 2026 and Notes and Folders on October 21, 2026.

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