Google Keep vs Quillpad
We give Google Keep a 3.6 GPA and Quillpad a 3.0, out of 4.0. Google Keep grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features 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
Quillpad
Open-source Android notes app with Markdown and task lists
How we grade them
| 3.6GPAGoogle KeepExcellent | 3.0GPAQuillpadVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AKeep is free with a personal Google Account. The paid route is Google Workspace, from $7 a user a month on a 1-year commitment, and that buys a whole office suite with Keep as one small part of it. | AFree and open source, under GNU GPL v3.0 on F-Droid, and the project says it will never show ads. With no paid tier at all, there's nothing to set against the $5.99 a month that's typical here. |
| Free plan and trial | ANotes, lists, labels, reminders, sharing and offline use are all free on the web, Android and iOS. The one thing held back is making lists with Gemini, which needs a Google AI plan or a Pixel device. | AThe whole app is free from F-Droid, Google Play or GitHub, with no in-app purchases listed. Every feature is in from the start. |
| Features | BA 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 it's built for short notes. You organise with colours, pins and up to 50 labels, and that's the lot. | BMarkdown notes, task lists, reminders, notebooks, tags, voice recordings and file attachments, plus pinning, archiving, hidden notes and search. Solid basics. But Nextcloud sync is labelled experimental, and moving in from Google Keep or Notally means running separate conversion scripts. |
| Ease of use | B4.59 from about 29,000 App Store ratings, a whisker under our line for an A. There's very little to learn: open it, type the thing, pick a colour if you like. | BIt's Android only, so there's no App Store rating on record and a B is our ceiling. Install it and write. The only setup is sync, if you want it: a folder of Markdown files or a Nextcloud server with the Notes app installed. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, 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 is listed, so on a computer it's a browser tab. | DAndroid only, on Android 7.0 or newer. There's no iPhone, desktop or web version and no hosted sync service. Nextcloud is the one integration, and file sync writes plain Markdown files other apps can read. |
| Best for | quick notes and shared shopping lists | free Markdown notes and checklists on Android |
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 Quillpad. How we grade
Where they differ
- Google Keep starts at $7 per user / month with a 1-year commitment (Workspace Business Starter). Quillpad is free.
- Only Google Keep lists a web app.
- Only Google Keep lists an iOS app.
- Only Google Keep lists a browser extension.
- Quillpad is open source, according to its own site.
- Google Keep also covers transcription and web clipper.
- Quillpad also covers Markdown.
At a glance
| Google Keep | Quillpad | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 whole app is free and open source, and the project says it will never show ads. F-Droid lists the license as GNU GPL v3.0 only. |
| 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 | Quillpad | |
| Price read from | knowledge.workspace.google.com | quillpad.github.io |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Quillpad
- Android users who want a free notes app with no ads
- People who self-host Nextcloud and want their notes on it
- Keeping Markdown notes, checklists and reminders in one app
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.
Quillpad
- Android only: the downloads are F-Droid, Google Play and GitHub, and F-Droid lists Android 7.0 or newer as the requirement.
- Nextcloud sync is labeled experimental and needs the Nextcloud Notes app installed on the server.
- There is no hosted sync service: notes stay on the device unless file-system or Nextcloud sync is set up.
- Moving in from Notally or Google Keep relies on separate conversion scripts linked from the README.
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.
Quillpad
- Markdown notes
- Notes are written with Markdown support and can be pinned to the top of the list, archived when they are no longer needed, and found through search.
- Task lists and reminders
- A note can be a task list, and reminders can be set on notes for events that should not be missed.
- Notebooks and tags
- Related notes are grouped into notebooks, and tags can be added to notes as a second way to organize them.
- Voice recordings and attachments
- Voice recordings and other files can be attached to a note so related material stays in one place.
- Hidden notes
- Notes can be hidden from the main list so they are not shown to other people looking at the device.
- File, Nextcloud and zip backup
- Notes can sync to the file system as Markdown files in a local or cloud folder, sync with Nextcloud, or be backed up to a zip file and restored later.
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.
Quillpad
Quillpad$0
The full app from F-Droid, Google Play or the GitHub releases page, with no paid tier or in-app purchases listed.
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.
- By country
Lower price shown to buyers in India
On October 9, 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.
Quillpad
No public discounts listed.
