Samsung Notes vs WeNote

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

WeNote

• Phone users who want notes and to-do lists with reminders in one app
• Shopping lists and sticky-note widgets on an Android home screen
• People who want a notes app that works without an account

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.

WeNote

• Android and iPhone only: the FAQ says there is no Windows version, and no web app is offered.
• Android and iOS do not sync with each other. iOS supports iCloud sync only, and moving from Android is a one-time transfer through an emailed backup file.
• The calendar is separate from Google Calendar and does not sync with it.
• WeNote Cloud is a $5 a month subscription that the one-time Combo purchase does not include.

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.

WeNote

Notes, to-do lists and shopping lists

A note holds free text of any length or a checklist. Checklist items are reordered by dragging, struck through with a tap, and moved to the bottom once done.

Labels and colors

Notes are organized with labels shown as tabs that you swipe between, and with note colors. Unlimited custom colors are a paid extra.

Reminders and calendar

Reminders can be one-time or repeat daily, weekly, monthly or yearly, and notes can be placed on a calendar that can also show public holidays for 250 countries.

Pictures, drawings and voice

Pictures, drawings, handwriting and voice recordings can be attached to a note, alongside the text.

Note lock

Individual notes and to-do lists, or the whole app, can be locked with a PIN, pattern or password, with fingerprint unlock where the device supports it.

Sync and backup

On Android, notes sync to WeNote Cloud or to a hidden Google Drive app folder. On iOS they sync through iCloud, sold as an in-app purchase. Local backups export as a zip file.

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.

WeNote

• WeNote$0

  The core app with ads: notes, to-do lists, reminders, the calendar, note lock and local backup. Which extras are paid differs between Android and iOS.

• In-app purchases (Google Play)$0.99 - $39.99

  per item; the billing basis is not shown

  Premium features sold singly or as the one-time Combo, which covers almost all of them and is bought once per Google account.

• In-app purchases (App Store)$2.99 - $49.99

  per item; the billing basis is not shown

  The US listing shows Premium at four prices from $2.99 to $49.99, Combo at $34.99, iCloud sync at $14.99 and single features at $2.99 to $7.99.

• WeNote Cloud$5

  per month

  15 GB of cloud storage for syncing notes and attachments, on servers in Germany. Subscribed to inside the app and not part of Combo.

Samsung Notes

No public discounts listed.

WeNote

• Other savings

  Combo bundle costs less than separate items

  The FAQ says the one-time Combo purchase is up to 50% cheaper than buying the premium features one by one, and that it will take in almost all future premium features.