# Apple Notes

> Apple's free notes app for iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web

Notes is Apple's note-taking app for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro. A note can hold text, checklists, tables, scanned documents, sketches, audio recordings with transcripts and file attachments, and notes are organized with folders, tags and Smart Folders. Notes sync between devices through iCloud, can be shared with other iCloud users and can also be opened in a web browser at iCloud.com.

- **Category:** Note-Taking Apps
- **Made by:** Apple
- **Website:** https://www.icloud.com/notes
- **Runs on:** iOS, macOS, Web
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 5, 2026

## Pricing

Apple Notes is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** The app is listed as free on the App Store, with no in-app purchases. Syncing runs through iCloud, which includes 5 GB of free storage with an Apple Account.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | $0 | Every feature of the app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, plus browser access at iCloud.com. |

Read from https://apps.apple.com/us/app/notes/id1110145109 on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Apple Notes before buying.

## Key features

- **Rich notes:** A note can combine text styles, checklists, tables, photos, PDFs, maps and web links. Section headers collapse to hide the text under them.
- **Audio recording and transcripts:** Audio sessions are recorded inside a note with a live transcript, and transcripts are searchable to find a particular moment.
- **Document scanner and handwriting:** A built-in scanner captures paper documents. Sketches and handwriting are added with a finger, or with Apple Pencil on a compatible iPad, including on inline PDFs.
- **Folders, tags and Smart Folders:** Notes sit in folders and subfolders or carry typed or handwritten tags. Smart Folders collect notes by rules such as date created, checklists or attachments.
- **Search and links between notes:** Search covers typed text, handwriting and the text inside scanned documents and photos. Notes can link to one another, with >> as a typing shortcut.
- **Shared and locked notes:** Notes and folders can be shared with other iCloud users, with changes shown in real time and an Activity view. A note can be locked with the device passcode or a custom password.

## Good for

- People who use only Apple devices
- Quick capture with Quick Note, Siri or dictation on Apple Watch
- Scanning receipts and documents into searchable notes
- Families and friends sharing notes and folders over iCloud

## Worth knowing

- Apps are listed only for Apple devices; on anything else, notes are reached in a web browser at iCloud.com.
- Notes on iCloud.com works only with notes stored in iCloud, not with notes kept in other accounts such as Google or Yahoo.
- Sync relies on iCloud, which includes 5 GB of free storage; iCloud+ plans with more storage start at $0.99 per month for 50 GB.
- Sharing is limited to people who use iCloud, and Apple says certain features are available only in select languages and regions.

## What people say

- **App Store rating of the iPhone and iPad app:** 4.8 out of 5 from 650,439 ratings in the United States, read Oct 7, 2026. This is the store's rating of the app, not a score from ToolGPA. Source: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1110145109

Often praised:

- Commenters who tried Obsidian, Notion, Evernote or Simplenote say they settled on it because it is simple and already there. (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49153266, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48869189, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49641561)
- Notes that stay in step across iPhone, iPad and Mac without a separate subscription are named as a reason for staying with it. (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49874274, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49153266, https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1110145109)

Often criticised:

- Commenters dislike that notes sit in the app's own store instead of as ordinary files, and name Markdown as what they would rather have. (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49946220, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49874274, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48897925)
- Heavy users among the reviewers report faults: an iPad that runs hot when writing with the Pencil, crashes, and syncing or shared notes that lag or lose work. (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1110145109)
- Commenters who want more from a notes app say it offers too little, which is the reason some give for building or moving to another editor. (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49866787, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49690202, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49710390)

Based on 10 App Store reviews, four of them one star, from February 2022 to July 2026, and about 25 Hacker News comments from July to October 2026. These are themes summarised from public reviews and discussions, not ToolGPA's own verdict.

## Works with

iCloud, Siri, Safari, Maps

**Tags:** Notes, Linked notes, Transcription, Real-time collaboration

## Alternatives

- [Google Keep](https://toolgpa.com/tools/google-keep): Google's app for quick notes, lists and reminders. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/apple-notes-vs-google-keep)
- [Microsoft OneNote](https://toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-onenote): Microsoft's free digital notebook for typed, inked and audio notes. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/apple-notes-vs-microsoft-onenote)
- [Bear](https://toolgpa.com/tools/bear): Markdown notes app for Mac, iPhone and iPad with tags and links. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/apple-notes-vs-bear)
- [Evernote](https://toolgpa.com/tools/evernote): Note-taking app with web clipping, tasks, calendar and AI search. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/apple-notes-vs-evernote)
- [Simplenote](https://toolgpa.com/tools/simplenote): Free plain-text notes that sync across every major platform. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/apple-notes-vs-simplenote)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026:

- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/notes/id1110145109
- https://support.apple.com/guide/notes/welcome/mac
- https://support.apple.com/guide/icloud/what-you-can-do-with-icloud-and-notes-mm2d069f7097/icloud
- https://support.apple.com/guide/icloud/notes-on-icloudcom-overview-mm6704cac5/icloud
- https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/lock-notes-iphf177bb154/ios
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/108047
- https://www.apple.com/icloud/

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/apple-notes
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).