Apple Notes vs Tot
We give Apple Notes a 3.8 GPA and Tot a 2.8, out of 4.0. Apple Notes grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Tot
Seven-note text scratchpad for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch
Free plan · from $19.99 one-time
How we grade them
| 3.8GPAApple NotesExcellent | 2.8GPATotGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree on the App Store, with no in-app purchases. The only money that might come up is iCloud storage: 5 GB is free, and iCloud+ starts at $0.99 a month for 50 GB. | BThe unlock is $19.99 once, which is cheap next to a subscription. But you pay it separately on the Mac and on iOS, the Apple Watch app is another $1.99, and the listing only names text dividers and custom smart bullets among the things it buys. |
| Free plan and trial | AEvery feature is free on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, plus the browser at iCloud.com. Sync runs on the 5 GB of iCloud storage that comes with an Apple Account. | BTot for Mac and Tot Pocket for iPhone and iPad are free to download, with premium features locked. The listing can't say exactly where the free line is drawn, beyond text dividers and custom smart bullets sitting on the paid side. |
| Features | AText, checklists, tables, scans, sketches and audio recordings with live transcripts, all in one note. Search reads handwriting and the text inside scanned documents. Add tags, Smart Folders, links between notes, shared folders and locked notes. | BSeven colour-coded dots in one window, each holding up to 100,000 characters of rich or plain text that converts to Markdown. Smart bullets for checklists, iCloud sync, Shortcuts actions, widgets and automatic backups. It does the scratchpad job fully. But seven is the limit, and the vendor says it can't be raised. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 650,000 App Store ratings. Commenters who tried Obsidian, Notion or Evernote say they settled on it because it's simple and already there. | BNo rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. There's nothing to organise, because there are only seven places to put anything. On the Mac it opens from the menu bar or with a keyboard shortcut. |
| Platforms and integrations | BiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, plus a web version at iCloud.com for everything else. No Android or Windows app, though, and sharing only works with people who use iCloud. | CMac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, synced through iCloud only, with Shortcuts actions on macOS and iOS. No Windows, Android or web version. The Mac unlock needs macOS 14.0 or later. |
| Best for | free notes if you only use Apple devices | a seven-note scratchpad on Apple devices |
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 Tot. How we grade
Where they differ
- Apple Notes is free. Tot starts at $19.99 one-time in-app purchase, per platform.
- Only Apple Notes lists a web app.
- Tot can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Apple Notes also covers transcription and linked notes.
- Tot also covers Markdown and menu bar app.
In commonFree planiOSmacOSNotes
At a glance
| Apple Notes | Tot | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $19.99 one-time in-app purchase, per platform |
| 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. | The Mac app and the iPhone and iPad app are free to download. Premium features, which the vendor says include text dividers and custom smart bullets, need the paid unlock. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Apple | The Iconfactory |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Apple Notes
- People who use only Apple devices
- Quick capture with Quick Note, Siri or dictation on Apple Watch
- Scanning receipts and documents into searchable notes
- Families and friends sharing notes and folders over iCloud
Tot
- Mac and iPhone users who want a scratchpad for short-lived text
- People who prefer a fixed handful of notes to a growing library
- Shortcuts users who need a place to stash and fetch text
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.
Tot
- The site lists apps for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch only; there is no Windows, Android or web version.
- Notes are fixed at seven dots of up to 100,000 characters each, and the vendor says more cannot be added.
- Premium features are bought separately on the Mac and on iOS at $19.99 each, and the Apple Watch app costs another $1.99.
- Sync runs through iCloud only, and automatic backups are unencrypted JSON files; the vendor advises against storing secrets in Tot.
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.
Tot
- Seven dots
- All text lives in seven color-coded dots in one window. The vendor says the limit is deliberate and cannot be raised; each dot holds up to 100,000 characters.
- iCloud sync and Apple Watch app
- Dots sync between Mac, iPhone and iPad through iCloud. Tot Mini, a separate $1.99 Apple Watch app, joins the same sync and takes dictation and Scribble input.
- Rich text, plain text and Markdown
- A dot can hold rich or plain text, and rich text can be turned into Markdown for use on the web. Word and character counts update as you type.
- Smart bullets and dividers
- Smart bullets make checklists whose items toggle with a tap. Version 2 added up to eight custom bullet pairs and eight divider styles.
- Menu bar and floating window
- On the Mac, Tot opens from the menu bar, the Dock or both, can float above other windows, and can be shown with a keyboard shortcut.
- Shortcuts, widgets and backups
- Shortcuts actions on macOS and iOS store and retrieve the text of a dot, iOS has Home Screen widgets, and both platforms keep automatic local backups.
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.
Tot
Free download$0
Tot for Mac and Tot Pocket for iPhone and iPad are free on the App Store, with premium features locked until purchased.
Tot for macOS$19.99
one-time in-app purchase (US Mac App Store)
Unlocks the premium features on the Mac, such as text dividers and custom smart bullets. Requires macOS 14.0 or later.
Tot for iOS and iPadOS$19.99
one-time in-app purchase (US App Store)
Unlocks the premium features in Tot Pocket on iPhone and iPad. People who paid for Tot 1.0 on iOS get version 2 by restoring the purchase.
