Apple Notes vs Napkin (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Apple Notes grades higher than Napkin: 3.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Apple Notes grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Napkin
iPhone app for saving quotes and ideas and revisiting them as flows
Which one is for you
Pick Apple Notes if
- Fits if every device you own is Apple and you don't want another subscription
- Works for scanning receipts and letters so you can search the text later
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Android or Windows day to day, as you'd be working in a browser tab at iCloud.com
- Not for you if you want your notes as plain Markdown files, because they sit in the app's own store
- Tight if you share with people outside Apple, since sharing needs an iCloud account on both ends
- Watch out: sync runs on the 5 GB of free iCloud storage, and more means iCloud+ from $0.99 a month for 50 GB
- Watch out: iCloud.com shows only notes kept in iCloud, and Apple says some features are limited to select languages and regions
Pick Napkin if
- Fits if you collect quotes from books and articles and want to see them again later
- Works for people on an iPhone who want a calm review habit more than a note library
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want to try before paying, as there is no free plan or trial
- Skip it if you also write on a laptop: the desktop version was shut down and no replacement is promised
- Too light for notes with folders, long text or search, as it is built for short ideas
- Watch out: it needs iOS 26.0 or later, and the listing shows two pairs of subscription prices
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAApple NotesVery good | 2.0GPANapkinFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree on the App Store with no in-app purchases, in a category where the middle plan is $6 a month. The only money that comes up is iCloud storage: 5 GB free, then iCloud+ from $0.99 a month for 50 GB. | B$40 a year, or about $3.33 a month, which is the edge of the category's cheapest quarter. The listing also shows a $3 monthly and $30 yearly pair without saying why. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with nothing held back. Every feature on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, no plan above it to be nudged towards, and sync on the 5 GB that comes with an Apple Account. | FNothing is free: the listing says a subscription is needed and shows no free plan or trial. |
| Features | BText, checklists, tables, scans, sketches and audio with live transcripts in one note, search that reads handwriting, tags, Smart Folders, links between notes, and shared and locked notes. The power-user end is missing, though, with no Markdown files. | CIt does one smaller job fully: collect ideas by typing, dictating, scanning a book or sharing, then revisit them with AI topic suggestions. It isn't a notes library, and the desktop version was switched off on 30 June 2026. |
| Ease of use | A4.84 from about 650,000 App Store ratings, above the 4.7 from 1,000 ratings an A needs. Commenters who tried Obsidian, Notion and Evernote say they went back to it because it's simple and already there. | BNo store rating on record. You install it and share or type something in, with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | COne family of devices: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch and Vision Pro. No Android or Windows app at all, and the browser version at iCloud.com only shows notes kept in iCloud, not ones in a Google or Yahoo account. | CiPhone only. No iPad, Mac, Windows, Android or web version, and no integrations listed. |
| Best for | free notes if you only use Apple devices | saving quotes and ideas on an iPhone |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Apple Notes and Napkin. How we grade
Price against what you get
Apple Notes has no paid plan and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Napkin starts at $3.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
Apple Notes scores higher and starts $3.33 a month lower. Of the other note-taking apps on the chart, none scores higher than Apple Notes for less, and 19 score higher than Napkin for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Apple Notes also covers transcription and linked notes.
- Napkin also covers dictation.
At a glance
| Apple Notes | Napkin | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Paid |
| Starts at | Free | $5 per month, or $40 per year |
| Free plan | The app is listed as free on the App Store, with no in-app purchases. Syncing runs through iCloud, which includes 5 GB of free storage with an Apple Account. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Apple | Napkin GmbH |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Apple Notes
- Apps are listed only for Apple devices; on anything else, notes are reached in a web browser at iCloud.com.
- Notes on iCloud.com works only with notes stored in iCloud, not with notes kept in other accounts such as Google or Yahoo.
- Sync relies on iCloud, which includes 5 GB of free storage; iCloud+ plans with more storage start at $0.99 per month for 50 GB.
- Sharing is limited to people who use iCloud, and Apple says certain features are available only in select languages and regions.
Napkin
- Runs on iPhone only; the desktop prototype was shut down on June 30, 2026, and no replacement is promised.
- The App Store listing says a subscription is needed to use Napkin, and it shows no free plan or trial.
- The listing also shows a second pair of subscription prices, $3 monthly and $30 yearly, without saying what differs.
- It requires iOS 26.0 or later.
Key features
Apple Notes
- Rich notes
- A note can combine text styles, checklists, tables, photos, PDFs, maps and web links. Section headers collapse to hide the text under them.
- Audio recording and transcripts
- Audio sessions are recorded inside a note with a live transcript, and transcripts are searchable to find a particular moment.
- Document scanner and handwriting
- A built-in scanner captures paper documents. Sketches and handwriting are added with a finger, or with Apple Pencil on a compatible iPad, including on inline PDFs.
- Folders, tags and Smart Folders
- Notes sit in folders and subfolders or carry typed or handwritten tags. Smart Folders collect notes by rules such as date created, checklists or attachments.
- Search and links between notes
- Search covers typed text, handwriting and the text inside scanned documents and photos. Notes can link to one another, with >> as a typing shortcut.
- Shared and locked notes
- Notes and folders can be shared with other iCloud users, with changes shown in real time and an Activity view. A note can be locked with the device passcode or a custom password.
Napkin
- Share from other apps
- Send text from other apps to Napkin through the share sheet, or type an idea in with the keyboard.
- Flows of ideas
- Saved ideas are connected into short, curated playlists meant for quick moments of reflection.
- AI topic suggestions
- A personal AI reads your saved ideas and suggests topics you may want to look at again.
- Scan and dictate
- Scan a passage from a printed book or dictate an idea by voice instead of typing it.
Plans
Apple Notes
Free$0
Every feature of the app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, plus browser access at iCloud.com.
Napkin
All features, monthly$5
per month
Subscription with all features, billed monthly through the App Store.
All features, yearly$40
per year
The same subscription billed yearly, which works out to about $3.33 a month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Apple Notes or Napkin?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Apple Notes is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $3.33 a month when paid by the year for Napkin. Apple Notes is free, and Napkin starts at $5 per month, or $40 per year.
Which has a free plan, Apple Notes or Napkin?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Apple Notes has a free plan. Napkin does not.
Which platforms do Apple Notes and Napkin run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Apple Notes lists a web app and a macOS app. Both list an iOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.