ColorNote vs Simplenote

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

Simplenote

• Plain-text notes synced across phone, desktop and browser at no cost
• People who prefer tags and search over folders
• Publishing a note to a public web link

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.

Simplenote

• Notes are text only: images, PDFs and other files cannot be attached, though Markdown can embed an image hosted elsewhere.
• Notes are encrypted in transit but not at rest, and Automattic advises against storing particularly sensitive information.
• An account is required; Simplenote cannot be used without one.
• Notes are shared one at a time, and an individual note cannot be hidden.

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.

Simplenote

Automatic sync

Notes stay updated across phones, computers and the web app automatically and in real time, with no sync button to press.

Tags, pins and instant search

Notes are organized with tags and pins, and search finds them as you type with keyword highlighting.

Version history

Notes are backed up with every change, so you can look back at what a note said last week or last month.

Markdown

Notes can be written, previewed and published in Markdown. The help center lists Markdown support on the web, Android, iOS, Windows and Linux apps.

Collaboration and publishing

A note can be shared with another person by email address so both can edit it, or published to a public simp.ly link for read-only viewing.

Checklists and internal links

Notes can contain checklists with nested items, and internal links jump from one note to another.

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.

Simplenote

• Free$0

  Every app and feature, including sync, version history, collaboration and publishing, with a Simplenote account.