Google Keep vs Notes.io (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Google Keep grades higher than Notes.io: 3.2 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Google Keep grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Google Keep
Google's app for quick notes, lists and reminders
Which one is for you
Pick Google Keep if
- Fits if you want shopping lists and quick notes on your phone and watch
- Works for households sharing a list, since ticked-off items show up in real time
Look elsewhere if
- Too light for long notes or research, with nothing beyond labels, colors and pins to organize them
- Tight if you label everything, because Keep allows up to 50 labels, and labels on a shared note show only for you
- Skip it if you want a desktop app, as Keep runs in a browser tab on a computer
- Watch out: making lists with Gemini needs a Google AI plan or a Pixel device
- Watch out: the paid route is a Workspace plan from $7 a user a month on a 1-year commitment, and its trial needs billing details
Pick Notes.io if
- Fits if you want to jot something down and send a link without signing up
- Works for passing a snippet of text to someone on another device
Look elsewhere if
- Too light for real note-keeping: no folders, tags or search are described
- Skip it if the note is private, as the pages say little about the privacy of shared notes
- Watch out: the short link covers notes up to 18 KB, and longer ones need you to sign in or trim them
- Not for you if you want an app, as there is only the website
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAGoogle KeepVery good | 2.8GPANotes.ioGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree with a personal Google Account, in a category where the middle plan is $6 a month. The paid route is Google Workspace from $7 a user a month on a 1-year commitment, and that's a whole office suite with Keep as one small part of it. | AFree, with no paid plan published anywhere on the site we read. |
| Free plan and trial | ANotes, lists, labels, reminders, sharing and offline use, all free on the web, Android and iOS, with no cap a normal person would meet. The one thing held back is making lists with Gemini, which wants a Google AI plan or a Pixel. | AThe site says it has been free since it started and needs no account to write and share a note. |
| Features | CA note can be text, a checklist, a photo, a drawing or audio, and voice memos get transcribed. Reminders fire at a time or a place, and shared lists update live. But this is the quick-notes job rather than the note-taking one: you organise with colours, pins and up to 50 labels, and that's your lot. | DOne narrow function: write a note, share it by link and keep an archive. No folders, tags, search or apps are described. |
| Ease of use | B4.59 from about 29,000 App Store ratings, just under the 4.7 an A asks for. There's next to nothing to learn: open it, type the thing, pick a colour if you fancy. | BNo store rating on record. Open the page and type, with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Android, Wear OS, iPhone, iPad and a Chrome extension, with a side panel that drops your notes into Google Docs and Slides. No desktop app at all, though, so on a computer it's a browser tab. | CWeb only, with no apps, extension or integrations listed. |
| Best for | quick notes and shared shopping lists | a quick note you can share with a link |
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: Google Keep and Notes.io. How we grade
Price against what you get
Google Keep starts at $7 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Notes.io has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Google Keep scores higher, and starts $7 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other note-taking apps on the chart, 15 score higher than Google Keep for less, and none scores higher than Notes.io 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
- Google Keep also covers transcription, web clipper and tasks.
- Notes.io also covers file sharing.
At a glance
| Google Keep | Notes.io | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $7 per user / month with a 1-year commitment (Workspace Business Starter) | Free |
| Free plan | Free with a personal Google Account on the web, Android and iOS: notes, lists, labels, reminders, sharing and offline use. Creating lists with Gemini needs a Google AI plan or a Pixel device. | The site says it has been free since it started and needs no account to write and share a note. |
| Free trial | 14-day Google Workspace trial for new customers, limited to 10 users; billing details required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Metromedya | |
| Price read from | workspace.google.com | notes.io |
| Checked | Nov 2, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Notes.io
- Links shorten only notes up to 18 KB; longer notes need you to sign in or trim them.
- The pages describe no folders, tags, search or apps, only writing, sharing and an archive.
- The site publishes no paid plans, and its pages say little about privacy of shared notes.
Key features
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.
Notes.io
- No account to start
- Open the page and write; a note can be created and shared without signing up.
- Short share links
- Each note gets a link with an 8-character address that can be sent by SMS, email or a messaging app.
- Any device with a browser
- Notes are taken in the browser, so there is nothing to install on a phone or computer.
- Archive of your notes
- The site describes an archive of past notes that can be browsed quickly.
Plans
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.
Notes.io
Free$0
Write and share notes in the browser without an account; sign in for notes over 18 KB.
Ways to pay less
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.
- Other savings
Introductory discount for the first 3 months
The US pricing page gives new Workspace customers up to 50% off their first 3 months. On 2 November 2026 it showed 50% off Starter, Standard and Plus; the split has differed between readings.
- By country
Lower price shown to buyers in India
On October 10, 2026 the Workspace pricing page showed Starter at ₹270 per user a month on a 1-year commitment to a visitor in India, against $7 in the US list. Google says prices and discounts can vary by country.
Notes.io
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Google Keep or Notes.io?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Notes.io is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $7 a month for each person for Google Keep. Google Keep starts at $7 per user / month with a 1-year commitment (Workspace Business Starter), and Notes.io is free.
Which has a free plan, Google Keep or Notes.io?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Google Keep and Notes.io have a free plan.
Which platforms do Google Keep and Notes.io run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Google Keep lists iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a web 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.