Simple Sticky Notes vs Stickies
We give Simple Sticky Notes a 3.0 GPA and Stickies a 3.2, out of 4.0. Stickies grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Simple Sticky Notes
Free sticky notes for the Windows desktop with reminders
Free
How we grade them
| 3.0GPASimple Sticky NotesVery good | 3.2GPAStickiesVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AIt's freeware. The download page says it's completely free for personal and commercial use. Themes and alarm sounds come from the site's Store as add-on files, and no prices are shown there. | AFreeware for home and office, on as many computers as you like. No registered-only features, no time delays and no nag screens. Donations go through PayPal if you feel like it. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole Windows app is free, with nothing to upgrade to. One string attached: the licence lets the maker place announcements of its other products in the software. | AThe full program is free on Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11, and so are the add-on tools and translations on the same site. There's no paid version to be nudged towards. |
| Features | BDesktop notes with formatted text, checklists with child items, alarm reminders, and a Note Explorer that searches everything and sorts it into notebooks. Solid for sticky notes. But notes sit in a local Notes.db file, and restoring a backup permanently deletes every note in the app at the time. | AIt only does sticky notes, but it does them fully. Notes hold text or images, sleep until a date or wake every day, week or month, and can be attached to an app, website, document or folder. They can be sent to other PCs over a network or by email. There's a documented API and Group Policy control too. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. Double-click the tray icon and a note lands on the desktop. Each one can be hidden, recoloured or given its own opacity. | BNo rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. It doesn't write to the registry and keeps everything in a single SQLite file. One snag from its own download page: several antivirus products flag the program and installer, which the author calls a false positive. |
| Platforms and integrations | DWindows only, from Windows 7 through 11, including Arm64. No Mac, phone or web version, and no integrations. Getting a note out means printing it, exporting text or RTF, or sharing to Twitter or WhatsApp. | DWindows only. The download page lists Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11 and no other platform, so there's no Mac, phone or web version. The API is for other Windows applications. |
| Best for | free sticky notes on a Windows desktop | yellow sticky notes on a Windows desktop |
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: Simple Sticky Notes and Stickies. How we grade
Where they differ
- Simple Sticky Notes is free. Stickies is free.
- Simple Sticky Notes also covers tasks.
In commonFree planWindowsLocal-firstNotes
At a glance
| Simple Sticky Notes | Stickies | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Freeware: the download page says it is completely free for personal and commercial use, and the license lets you use it without charge. | Freeware for home and office use on any number of computers, with no registered-only features, time delays or nag screens. Donations are accepted through PayPal. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Simnet Limited | Zhorn Software |
| Price read from | simplestickynotes.com | zhornsoftware.co.uk |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Simple Sticky Notes
- Windows users who want reminders stuck to the desktop
- Short checklists and quick notes that stay in view while working
- Offices that need a notes tool that is free for commercial use
Stickies
- Windows users who want plain notes that stay on screen
- Offices that pass notes between PCs on a local network
- Administrators who manage desktop settings through Group Policy
Worth knowing
Simple Sticky Notes
- Windows only: it runs on Windows 7 through 11, including Arm64 versions of Windows 10 and 11.
- Notes are kept in a local Notes.db file, and moving them to another PC is done with the backup and restore functions.
- Restoring a backup permanently deletes every note currently in the app, including trashed ones.
- The freeware license allows the maker to place announcements of its other products in the software.
Stickies
- Windows only: the download page lists Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11 and no other platform.
- Notes live in one SQLite file on the PC; sharing between machines is done by sending notes over a network, SMTP or MAPI.
- The download page says several antivirus products flag the program and installer as malware, which the author calls a false positive.
- It is freeware, not open source: the author keeps the copyright and source code, and the license forbids modifying the program.
Key features
Simple Sticky Notes
- Desktop sticky notes
- Double-clicking the tray icon adds a note to the desktop. Each note can be hidden, recolored and given its own opacity.
- Alarm reminders
- A note can be given an alarm so that it reminds you of a task at a set time.
- Checklists
- Checkboxes turn a note into a checklist, with indented child items that follow their parent when it is checked or unchecked.
- Note Explorer
- One window shows all notes, searches them, sorts them into notebooks and gives access to deleted notes.
- Print, export and share
- Notes can be printed, exported as text or RTF files, and shared to Twitter and WhatsApp.
- Themes, sounds and dark mode
- The site's Store offers note themes and alarm sounds that install by double-clicking an .ssnex file, and the app has a dark mode.
Stickies
- Notes that stay put
- A note remains where it is placed until it is closed, including through reboots, and notes snap to each other and to the screen edges.
- Sleeping notes and alarms
- A note can be hidden for a period, until a date and time, or to wake every day, week or month, and alarms make sure it is noticed.
- Notes attached to apps and documents
- A note can be attached to an application, website, document or folder so that it only shows while that item is on screen.
- Sending notes to other PCs
- Notes transfer between machines over a TCP/IP network connection, an SMTP mail server or a MAPI client, using a hierarchical friends list.
- Styles and skins
- Fonts, colors and buttons can be changed and saved as styles, notes can be resized, and the site has a section of downloadable skins.
- API and Group Policy
- A documented API lets other Windows applications send commands to Stickies, and Active Directory administrators can control settings with Group Policy.
Plans
Simple Sticky Notes
Simple Sticky Notes$0
The full Windows app. Themes and sounds from the site's Store are added as extension files, with no prices shown.
Stickies
Stickies$0
The full program for Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11, with free add-on tools and translations on the same site.
