ColorNote vs Samsung Notes

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

Samsung Notes

• Galaxy phone and tablet owners, especially those with an S Pen
• Recording a lecture or meeting while taking notes
• Marking up PDFs by hand on a Galaxy tablet

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.

Samsung Notes

• Samsung documents the app for Galaxy phones, tablets and Galaxy Book PCs; no iPhone, Mac or web version is listed.
• The Windows app is optimized for Galaxy Book models, and Samsung says other Windows computers may have issues running it.
• Syncing with Microsoft OneNote is not available on devices running One UI 9; notes sync through Samsung Cloud instead.
• Note Assist needs a supported Galaxy device, a Samsung account and an internet connection, and shared notes are still labeled beta.

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.

Samsung Notes

S Pen handwriting

Handwriting can be altered, moved and converted to text, using pens, fountain pens, pencils and highlighters in a range of colors and thicknesses.

Voice recordings synced to notes

A recording made while you type or write is synced to the note, so playback follows along with what you wrote during a lecture or meeting.

PDF import and annotation

PDFs can be imported, written on and annotated. Notes export as PDF, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, image or text files.

Folders, page templates and locked notes

Notes are organized into folders and subfolders, with page templates such as grids and lined paper. Individual notes can be locked, which requires a Samsung account.

Shared notes

Up to 10 people, including you, can edit the same note at the same time on Galaxy phones and tablets, invited from contacts or by link. Samsung labels the feature beta.

Note Assist with Galaxy AI

On select Galaxy phones and tablets running One UI 6.1 or later, Note Assist formats notes automatically, summarizes them, corrects spelling and translates them.

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.

Samsung Notes

• Free$0

  The full app on Galaxy phones and tablets and on Galaxy Book PCs, with sync through Samsung Cloud using a Samsung account.