ColorNote vs Google Keep

ColorNote

• Android users who want a plain notepad with checklists
• Shopping lists and reminders kept on the home screen as widgets
• Keeping notes in step between an Android phone and tablet

Google Keep

• Quick notes, shopping lists and reminders on a phone or smartwatch
• People who already work in Google Docs and other Google apps
• Households sharing lists that update in real time

ColorNote

• Android only: the FAQ says there is no version for other mobile systems or for PCs and suggests the BlueStacks emulator on a computer.
• Google Play shows in-app purchases of $1.99 to $15.99 per item without saying what each item is or how it is billed.
• Notes cannot be opened in other programs, and the FAQ's only route to another operating system is sending notes by email.
• A forgotten master password cannot be recovered; clearing it loses the notes that were locked with it.

Google Keep

• Keep allows up to 50 labels, and labels, colors and pins on a shared note are visible only to you.
• No desktop app is listed: Keep runs in a browser, as a Chrome extension and as Android, Wear OS, iPhone and iPad apps.
• Creating lists with Gemini in Keep requires a Google AI plan or a Pixel device.
• Workspace Business editions are capped at 300 users; larger organizations need Enterprise pricing from Google sales.

ColorNote

Text notes and checklists

Text notes hold free-form writing, and checklists cover to-do and shopping lists whose items are checked off with a tap.

Color-coding

Notes are sorted into color groups. Each group can be given a name and shows how many notes it holds.

Reminders and status bar pins

A note can have a time, all-day or repeating reminder, or be pinned to the Android status bar so it stays in view.

Home screen widgets

Sticky-note widgets put individual notes on the Android home screen.

Calendar view

Notes can be attached to dates on a calendar, and the app raises a reminder for a note on the date it was assigned to.

Note lock and backup

A master password locks individual notes. Notes back up to device storage or to the online sync service, which encrypts them with AES before upload.

Google Keep

Notes, lists, photos, drawings and audio

A note can be text, a checklist, a photo, a drawing or an audio recording. Voice memos are transcribed automatically, and text inside images is picked up by search.

Labels, colors and pins

Notes are organized with up to 50 labels, color codes and pins. Search filters by color and by attributes such as lists, audio notes with reminders or shared notes.

Time and location reminders

A reminder brings a note back at a set time or on arrival at a place, such as a grocery list that appears at the store.

Shared notes

Several people can edit the same note or list at once, with checked-off items showing up in real time. Notes can also be shared with a Google family group.

Keep inside Google Docs and Slides

A side panel in Docs and Slides lists Keep notes, which can be dragged into the document. Highlighted text or images can be saved back to Keep.

Chrome extension and offline use

The Chrome extension saves URLs, text and images to Keep and lets you add labels. Notes can be updated offline, and changes sync once you reconnect.

ColorNote

• ColorNote$0

  Free install from Google Play, with text notes, checklists, color groups, reminders, widgets, note lock and backup among the listed features.

• Premium (in-app purchases)$1.99 - $15.99

  per item; the billing basis is not shown on Google Play

  The listing's release notes place a writing assistant and grammar checker in the premium version. The individual items are not itemized.

Google Keep

• Personal Google Account$0

  Keep on the web, in the free Android and iOS apps and as a Chrome extension, with labels, reminders and shared notes.

• Business Starter$7

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($8.40 flexible)

  Google Workspace for up to 300 users with 30 GB pooled storage per user. Keep shared notes come with every Workspace plan.

• Business Standard$14

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($16.80 flexible)

  Google Workspace with 2 TB pooled storage per user.

• Business Plus$22

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($26.40 flexible)

  Google Workspace with 5 TB pooled storage per user.

• EnterpriseCustom

  For companies with more than 300 users; priced through Google sales and resellers.

ColorNote

No public discounts listed.

Google Keep

• Annual discount

  Lower Workspace rate with a 1-year commitment

  Business Starter costs $7 per user per month on the Annual/Fixed-Term Plan versus $8.40 on the Flexible Plan. Standard drops from $16.80 to $14 and Plus from $26.40 to $22.

• Nonprofit

  Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0

  Eligible nonprofits get Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0 per user, or Business Standard at $3.50 and Business Plus at $6.16 per user per month on a 1-year commitment.